


We Are Only Given Today and Not Promised Tomorrow

by LeafontheWinf2



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/M, Fenrir Phil Coulson, Good Loki, Hel Darcy Lewis, Jörmungandr Nick Fury, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Vampire Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-30
Updated: 2013-11-07
Packaged: 2017-12-06 22:58:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/741144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeafontheWinf2/pseuds/LeafontheWinf2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve Rogers has spent all of his life locked away from the world. But that all changed when Tony Stark drew him out into the real world. Or what was said to be the real world. Vampire AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have had this idea in my head for a while now. When reading this just imagine it with pre-serum Steve because that's the body it works in. Feel free to guess what everyone is in this.

Located in an overgrown lot in Brooklyn stood a large imposing building. The concrete was so worn and gray no one could guess what color it had once been. The trees and bushes around it were so overgrown and thick no one could see the dim and grimy sign on the building. But everyone passing by could see the large wrought iron gate that stood like a silent sentinel one had to pass to enter the building.

 

Grinning down at the passers by in ancient and rusted gothic script were the words “Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.” It had been true, once long ago when the building was beautiful and new. But it was no longer true and hadn’t been for many many years.

 

The inside of the building was opposite from the outside. Instead of grimy concrete was polished tile floors and white walls. No pictures hung from the walls and no chairs or couches stayed out in this place. The only noise was the clack clack of heels as the workers moved through the building.

 

There was no noise from the so called students during the day. They had all learned not to make a noise so that no attention would be called to them. But at night, that was when the screaming would start. Screams from the students for their parents, for angels, for a god to please come and save them from this place. It was blood curdling and the few who worked the night shift always squirmed as they listened to the horrifying orchestra of screams of terror and pain.

 

Luckily it was daytime when the young man roused himself from staring at his blank walls. That was how he spent his day, just gazing at those blank walls and imagining them filled with the colors he knew from the other inmates and nurses skin, hair, and eye colors. He made up shapes in his mind and imagined them brought to life.

 

“Steven, can you look at me?”

 

Steven. That was his name wasn’t it? It had been a long while since he had heard that instead of being referred to as patient 191801994. That meant his doctor was back.

 

Steven uncurled from the small ball he’d made in his cot and up in bed. His doctor stood in the doorway, a large grin on the man’s warm face. Steven raised his tired eyes to the man’s face and just stared blankly back at him. He had no remembrance of how to smile like his doctor was right then.

 

“You are certainly starting to look better,” Doctor Eskrine stated, walking into the room and kneeling in front of Steven. He placed a wrinkled hand on Steven’s pale frail hand and gazed into glazed blue eyes, “Have you been taking your medication like a good boy?”

 

Steven nodded his head, not remembering how to make his vocal cords work correctly to speak.

 

“Good, good,” Eskrine patted his thigh gently, “I’ve checked in with the nurses and noticed that you took all of your medication like I asked you to. That is very good Steven. Perhaps if you keep up with this good behavior you will be allowed to go outside.”

 

Steven wished he could smile at that. He wanted to go outside, had wanted for so long. It had started before Eskrine had been assigned to be his doctor. Instead a nice man named Dr. Banner had taken care of him when Steven was young and would gather Steven into his arms and sit what had been a small child and telling him stories of the outside world. Steven had talked them, hushed whispers for only Dr. Banner’s ears that had dried up the day Dr. Banner disappeared.

 

“Did you hear anything I said to you my boy?” Steven returned his attention to Eskrine without changing his facial expression. Eskrine smiled gently at him, before clambering to his feet. He then leaned forward and cupped Steven’s cheek with his hand, “You are far too pale for me to be happy with. If I had my way you’d spend a good hour in the sun every single day but what do I know? I’m just a doctor. Now I brought you some pills that will help you sleep tonight, and I want you to take them now. Alright Steven?”

 

Steven just opened his mouth and let Eskrine place a pill on his tongue. He swallowed them dry before lying back down on his cot. He let his eyes fall shut and entered into his realm of dreams.

 

_They were safer than the waking world to him, a world where he was loved and happy. In this world he stood in a great ball room, wearing a dark blue suit that glittered with little diamonds instead of buttons. Not that Steven actually knew what it was. Around him people moved in an intricate waltz, partners moving perfectly in tune and timed as perfectly as the pushing tides that flowed in the ocean that sparkled behind them._

_A warm hand came to rest on Steven’s waist in this dream. It was tight enough to leave bruises and was a possessive brand. It was always at this point that the dream turned from a wonderful fantasy of warmth and joy into a nightmare._

_The dancers, who had appeared to be beautiful in Steven’s guessing mind, suddenly became terrifying. Their faces became twisted mockeries of the painted faces they had been before. Eyes turned blood red, lips were stained with blood. Their skin was rotting and falling off of stark cheekbones onto the marble floor._

_The hand tugged him closer to a cold body. Steven whimpered softly, too weak to get away. Perhaps the nurses had given him another sedative, he wondered as he dreamed, as another hand grabbed his hair and pulled his head back, baring his neck. Steven was afraid though he didn’t know why. His hands reached up to clutch at a necklace that rested around his neck. A silver rosary, a present from someone his dreaming mind supplied, was supposed to be protection._

_“He won’t come for you,” the hands holding him whispered into his ear, licking his neck, “He will leave you to die...”_

_“No,” Steven whispered as the ballroom doors were blown open and a furious figure stormed into the room scanning it with his eyes before locking in on Steven, “He will always come. He promised.”_

_A pair of furious red eyes made contact with Steve’s tired blue eyes, and they flashed with rage as he pulled back his hand. Stane snarled darkly and gripped Steve by the throat, choking him as Steve weakly tried to fight him off. Stane continued squeezing  and vicious delight spread through his eyes. Before Steve could pass out the door to the ball room slammed open. His protector came to save Steve, just like he had known he would..._

_“_ Someone grab me a sedative!”

 

Steven’s eyes snapped open at that, eyes wide open as his mouth was opened in a endless scream. He fought the hands pinning him to the cot, thrashing to get free. These men would hurt him, rip open his veins and drain him dry while he was powerless to stop them. So Steven fought with all his might, thrashing and screaming even as the needle bit into his forearm.

 

With a sob Steven’s movement became sluggish. He turned his head and noticed Eskrine standing in the doorway, gazing at him with tired eyes.

 

“Please...” Steven didn’t even recognize his own voice, “Don’t let them take me...don’t let them take me...”

 

Eskrine let out a pained sigh as Steven sank into unconsciousness in front of him. He stepped out of the room, ignoring the mutterings of the nurses who were whispering about how unnatural Steven’s strength was.

 

Eskrine walked towards his office and gazed hatefully at the name “Xavier’s Asylum” written on the door in bold white letters. Because that was what this place was now. It was an asylum, a place the rich sent their children when they were too tired to deal with them themselves and needed a reason to get rid of them. Often times the children were driven insane by this place, just like what was happening to Steven now.

 

Eskrine looked at the notes spread across his desk. Steven was different than the other patients in this building. He got little to no nutrition, and had no physical exercise, and yet his heart was strong and healthy while so was his body. The boy had been placed here fifteen years ago by a man with tired brown eyes and a sad smile and then left behind.

 

It was concerning to Eskrine when he thought of how erratic Steven’s mind was becoming. It was true the boy hadn’t spoken a single word in six years until this night, and that in of itself was concerning. The white blank walls were slowly breaking Steven’s mind into pieces as he aged in this room. Eskrine ran a hand through his thinning hair as he wondered what to do. He cared greatly for Steven, felt a need to give the boy a feeling of affection that he so sorely lacked in here. But it was getting harder.

 

Hopefully something would happen and Steven would be allowed to go free Eskrine prayed.

 

In his room, Steven tossed and turned on his cot as he whimpered in his seat. His dreams were haunted by a man with red eyes and a glowing heart running to save him from the monster holding him in the ballroom while Steven reached desperately for him.

 

Would someone end this hell he was trapped in before he went truly and fully insane?

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony enters the scene with Bruce and another ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony does not have the arc reactor in this. There is a reason for this so don't worry.

Tony Stark was one of the richest businessmen in the world. Everyone adored the billionaire philanthropist when they weren’t calling for his blood. He was an engineering genius who everyone bowed to in the field of science. He was famous for taking a different woman to bed each night and didn’t care what the rest of society had to say about him.

“He was sedated again,” Tony muttered to himself, his eyes moving over the projection in front of him as he absently pushed a folder towards his colleague, “I thought you said he was getting better.”

 

“He was getting better, but that place is hell on earth,” one Doctor Bruce Banner snapped back gathering the folder into his hands and flipping through it. His brow was crinkled with worry, “I am honestly not surprised he’s started to snap. Tony, you should have pulled him out six years ago when you pulled me out.”

 

“I don’t want a child in here,” Tony muttered under his breath, turning the projection in his hand as he studied it, “He would have gotten things dirty. And now he’s crazy so he’s useless. I’m pretty sure I can just leave him there forever and no one will be the wiser.”

 

Bruce glared darkly at him and Tony knew he was toeing the line of his friend’s patience. Bruce adored the brat, had seen the kid as a sort of son while working in the asylum and still didn’t forgive Tony for taking him away. Tony didn’t particularly care.

 

He’d promised the kid’s mother to look out for her son, to watch over the boy who had toddeled after his with chubby legs and big blue eyes and demanded hugs from his Uncle Tony. At the time Tony had gathered the boy close and smothered him with kisses on the soft little cheeks while blue eyes gazed adoringly up at him. But that had all changed when she died, ordering Tony to keep the child safe.

 

And Tony was keeping the child safe no matter what Bruce said. Because Tony was a target, no matter what Bruce and Pepper said to try and get him to bring the boy here, and if his little angel was hurt because of him. Well, Tony would kill himself there was no doubt about that.

 

Tony blinked as Bruce closed off the projection. He turned to stare into his friend’s eyes, eyes that were flashing golden in the light in his lab.

 

“Don’t you care at all that he’s being driven insane there?” Bruce demanded, his careful control slowly snapping as glared at Tony.

 

“Nope. Not one bit,” Tony grinned back cheekily, the same wicked grin he always gave the press. But the truth was he did care. He cared his angel was suffering in there but he would rather the boy be alive and insane then dead.

 

“If that’s all, you should leave,” Tony replied cheekily keeping his smile intact even when Bruce let out a snarl of rage before storming from the room. As soon as the lab door swished closed Tony’s entire expression crumpled.

 

Insane. The last bit of goodness he had protected for these twenty long years was slowly being driven insane by white walls and uncaring nurses. The second reason had been why Bruce had originally been sent to the asylum to give Tony’s boy some care and affection but Tony had ended it when a certain thief happened across the child one afternoon. Now it was all Tony could do to keep his boy safe.

 

He ran a hand through his hair, eyes clouded as he struggled to think when everything had started to go so horribly wrong. All he’d tried to do was protect the child and even that was falling apart. It was like that bastard had said, Tony ruined everything he touched.

 

“It is such a shame you know. The boy is growing into something truly wonderful,” a silky voice purred in Tony’s ear.

 

Tony growled low in his throat, spinning to glare at the being smiling back at him. She was beautiful, that was true. Lean and long, with milky white skin and haunting green eyes, her long black hair was braided out of her face while she stood before him in what he mentally dubbed to be peasant garb. She’d been out stealing then.

 

“Loki,” Tony snarled, eyes flashing red, “What are you doing here?”

 

“I can’t stop by to visit an old friend?” Loki pouted, her eyes wide with what she was trying to pass off as innocence. Tony knew better though. Loki was famous in their world, a thief of the supernatural she used her illusions to steal anything she wanted and sometimes she stole for others. If the price was right.

 

Tony wasn’t sure what race she was, not that he cared. As a vampire from an old and respected house, Tony was far above her in the supernatural world. But that didn’t make her more dangerous.

 

Tony bared his fangs at her, “I’ll ask you again, what are you doing here?”

 

She rolled her eyes before sinking into one of his chairs. Then Loki looked him straight in the eye before grinning widely, “I know a little secret Stark. How much would you pay to hear it?”

 

“If it’s that Steve’s going crazy then I’ve already got that information,” Tony snapped. How he hated her, “Now get out of my house.”  

 

Loki laughed at that, a rich sinful thing what honestly scared the crap out of Tony. Say what you want about Loki, but what she found funny most others found terrifying. She was crazier than a bag of cats on a good day, and it wasn’t looking like one of those right now.

 

“Oh, it is about you’re precious boy, but not his mental state. Why should I care for that?” Loki informed him, smirking haughtily, “No Stark. This is something much more important that that. Something you will be dying to hear.”

 

Tony smiled nastily back at her, “I’ve already died once Loki, let’s get this over with. What do you want to tell me?”

 

Loki leaned forward and if Tony didn’t know how crazy she was he could happily spend his life looking at her ample amount of cleavage. “Stane knows where your boy is,” Loki said simply, her eyes laughing with delight, “And he knows what the boy is.”

 

That statement destroyed what little was left of Tony’s rationality. With a roar of pure anger he threw himself forward and pinned Loki to the lab table by her throat. His fangs glistened as he leaned in close to her.

 

“If you told him about Steve, so help me no power in this universe will keep you safe from my wrath,” Tony hissed into her ear.

 

Loki just giggled on the table, before turning her head to stare into Tony’s now crimson eyes. “I didn’t tell him anything,” she announced haughtily, “I know what the boy is to you and I would never dare to touch him.”

 

Tony pulled back, starting to feel a little bad for attacking her until Loki called out, “Unless he asked me to touch him, then he’d be fair game.”

 

Punching her made perfect sense as far as Tony was concerned. Loki just rolled her eyes, not bothering to stop her nose from bleeding. She was strange.

 

“So will you take my deal?” she asked silkily, raising an eyebrow at Tony.

 

He glared back at her, “You know I will. What do you have for me?”

 

Loki stretched in the chair like an overgrown cat that was far too smug with itself, “Stane is moving for the boy now Stark. He plans to take him for a thrall, keep him chained at his feet for all eternity. And he’ll do anything to achieve that goal, you should know that better than anyone.”

“He’ll kill anyone in his way Stark. And when Steve doesn’t cooperate he’ll kill him too,” Loki breathed softly, her eyes sharp, “And you know steve won’t cooperate because it’s not like anyone has taught him what to do. That wasn’t the best idea you had...”

 

“Enough,” Tony snapped. He hated how rough his own voice sounded, how tired and pained he sounded to her, “What is the payment you wanted for this information?”

 

Loki smirked, and it was a dark thing, one that lacked all hope as she gazed at him with tired eyes, “A man will come for Steve, one who is my opposite in every way. Whatever you do, do NOT tell him who I am. That is all I need.”

 

Tony nodded before turning and leaving the lab at a brisk walk. As soon as the doors closed behind him he took off at a dead run. He had to get to Steve before Stane did, there was no other option. He would burn the world to the ground if he had to, as long as his angel was safe.

 

Sitting in the lab, with her ankles crossed Loki grinned wickedly at the ceiling. “The ball has started rolling now,” Loki murmured into the air, “Soon the game will begin and I’ll take back what was rightfully mine.”

 

With a snap of her fingers she was gone. Let the games begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vampires: there are two types. The high vampires are born as vampires. They look human and have super strength and are ridiculously hard to kill. The lower vampires look like rotting corpses. Both feed off of blood though. If you have read the Dresden Files think of high vampires as looking like the White Court and lower vampires as Black Court.
> 
> Werewolves: they were once human and bitten by another werewolf. They turn into giant wolves that are awesome.
> 
> Loki: yeah, she might have powers or she might not. Just know that no one really knows what Loki is but Thor and he'll show up later. Everyone thinks she is something different and none are right.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve meets his mysterious protector while leaving behind everything he knew.

The dreams were back again. After a month of utter silence when he slept Steven was back to dreaming of warmth and love. _A person, he never knew who, was always there. Always ready with a kiss to Steven’s forehead and gentle hands to pull him into a welcoming and loving warm hug._

_Silk sheets rustled under him as he was rolled onto his back. A warm tan hand pressed against his bare stomach. It pressed down, a reassuring presence that grounded him when warm lips pressed against his own in a soft kiss. They lingered there for a second before the kiss became more heated. The other hand cupped his cheek, a warm reminder of how safe her was, how precious he was to this wonderful being that stole the breath from his lungs._

_Desire began to pool low in his stomach and Steven couldn’t help but squirm. He wasn’t used to these feelings and he whimpered softly. Those warm lips let out a huff of amusement before pressing a loving kiss to Steven’s forehead while the hand on his stomach moved down to..._

 

Steven awoke with a gasp, his entire body tense. He squirmed in his cot, similar to how he had squirmed in the large warm bed in the dream but there was not one there to help him ease the arousal. Steven whimpered, rolling onto his stomach before rutting into the warm sheets under him. He sobbed softly into his pillows in frustration afraid to be caught giving in to a physical urge and have them yell at him again.

 

Steve managed to get his urges under control and rolled off of his bed and got to his feet. He walked to the corner of his room and curled up into a tiny ball, resting his chin on his knees. It was safer in his corner, this Steven knew. Monsters couldn’t see him if he was resting in his corner and the nurses wouldn’t bother him if he stayed there. No one would ever hurt him in his corner.

 

“Steven,” Eskrine called gently, opening the door and kneeling in front of Steven, “I need you to come with me.”

 

Steven shook his head in denial, curling even tighter into a ball. Eskrined reached out and grabbed his wrists, hauling him to his feet. Steven stiffened, the doctors and nurses never touched them outside of injections and sedation it just wasn’t done.

 

Eskrine pulled him to his feet and dragged him from the room, Steven struggling weakly to get free. The sedatives kept him weak so he was easily pulled down the hallway and dragged towards Eskrine’s office. No one stopped them, all the nurses were just walking about in a daze, their eyes glazed over as they moved down the hallway. The people in their rooms were dead silent which was wrong. Steven knew something was wrong, it was like a physical presence pressing down on Steve as he was pulled through the hallway.

 

Eskrine opened the office door and shoved Steve in. “Take a seat Steven,” Eskrine ordered and Steven fell into his seat with wide eyes, “You’re going to be receiving a guest and I want you to be on your best behavior. Anything he asks, you will give him. Understand Steven?”

 

Steven nodded, his arms wrapping around his torso as he hugged himself. This was wrong, he shouldn’t be in here he should be safe in his corner. Steven whimpered softly.

 

“Steven will you do what he says?” demanded Eskrine. Steven just shrunk into himself, wishing he could disappear into his seat. Eskrine just shook his head before backhanding Steven. Steven let out a soft yelp before staring up at the doctor in fear.

 

“You will do what he says,” Eskrine told him, “Or I will kill you.”

 

Steven couldn’t explain what happened right then. All he knew was in that moment something happened and he straightened up and fixed Eskrine with a dark look. His blue eyes hardened to ice as he glared.

 

“I don’t like bullies,” Steven whispered, his voice rough with disuse, “And I refuse to work for one.”

 

Eskrine just shook his head and gave him a pitying look, “It is cute you think you will defy Mr. Stane. That isn’t how it works Steven, you will obey.”

 

A knock sounded from the office door. With a twisted grin Eskrine turned away from Steven and opened the door. Steven stiffened in his seat. He knew running was useless but that wouldn’t stop him. He’d try anyways.

 

Eskrine’s grin fell off his face to be replaced with an expression of confusion, “You’re not Mr. Stane.”

 

“No, I’m afraid I’m not,” Steven shivered as that voice reached his ears. It sounded....like something rich and expensive, something Steven has never experienced before, “But he sent me here to collect Steven.”

 

“He said he was coming straight here...”

 

“The plan has changed,” there was a hint of iron in that tone, the tone causing Steven to climb out of his seat and head towards the door. Steven froze, staring at the man in front of him. Messy brown hair and olive skin was the first thing Steven noticed. Along with the expensive suit and shades covering his eyes. The man had a wicked smile and Steve could smell iron, cinnamon, and something else rolling off of the man in waves.

 

“Steven,” the man offered him a gentle smile, holding out a hand to the blond, “Why don’t you come with me? I’m going to take you somewhere safe.”

 

Steven shifted, playing with the hem of his shirt. “Is it outside?” he asked softly. He’d never been outside, always wondered about the colors and the sounds he’d never experienced.

 

“It is,” that voice was warm and without consciously realizing it Steven walked forward and took the hand. The man pulled Steven in close and wrapped an arm around his waist.

 

“I promise to take care of you,” the murmured in his ear, leading Steven from the room and into the hallway, “I’ll always come for you Steve.”

 

_He’ll come for me._

 

Steven whimpered at that while the man dragged him down the hallway quickly. A presence was closing in on them, Steven could feel it in the air. It wasn’t like the warmth of the man leading him, instead it was darker, more malicious. Something out there wanted to hurt him.

 

“Shit, he’s close,” the man muttered, speeding up, “I need you to stay close to me. Understand?”

 

Steven nodded as they reached the door. “I understand,” Steven whispered softly as the man opened the door and they walked outside. The sun was blinding, bright white light that left Steven clinging to the man holding him. The sweet smell of trees and grass was overwhelmed by the thick heavy scent of smog and pollution in the air, leaving Steven gagging slightly. Before he could say anything to the man holding him, a brand of iron grabbed his shoulder and pulled backwards pulling Steven out of the man’s grasp.

 

Tony turned the minute he felt Steve slip out of his arms. He froze at the sight before him.

 

Steve, thin and pale Steve, was being held by Obidah Stane in a death grip. One powerful arm was wrapped around Steve’s neck, the other his waist. Steve’s blue eyes were wide with fear as they gazed helplessly back at Tony.

 

The worst part was that Stane’s eyes were red, and his fangs were pressed against Steve’s jugular.

 

“Tony,” Stane said with an oily grin, “Thank you for bringing this beauty to me. He has grown up to look so gorgeous. Wonder if he tastes as sweet as he looks, the little prorok.”

 

Tony snarled, and judging by Steve’s gasp of surprise his eyes had flashed red. “You touch a single hair on his head and I will end you. Nothing will keep you safe, no matter where you go or how fast you run. I will hunt you down.”

 

Stane laughed pressing his lips to Steve’s neck, “And how will you stop me Tony? You wouldn’t risk harming little Steve here would you?”

 

“No, but I will.”

 

And then a two by four connected to the back of Stane’s head.Vampire or no, he still dropped like a bag of bricks. With a sob of fear Steve ran forward into Tony’s warm arms. Tony pulled Steve close, shielding him from Stane. Tony looked up and stared at Loki in shock.

 

“What are you doing here?” Tony demanded

 

Loki grinned at him, “I made a deal with someone long ago. This is my fulfilling it. We need to move. Now.”

 

Tony nodded to her, for once grateful to see Loki as he gently tugged Steve away from Stane’s unconscious body. The boy was trembling in his arms not out of fear but instead from the sensory overstimulation that came from dealing with the real world for the first time. Everything was probably overwhelming the kid.

 

“Where are we going?” Steve whispered, blue eyes darting around to stare at the world in fascination with still a hint of fear.

 

“Somewhere safe,” Tony promised leading Steve through the overgrown hedges and helping the boy into a rather expensive car, “We can’t stay in New York anymore, not with Stane looking for you. Our only option is to head to my other house.”

 

Steve ran his hands across the seats of the car, eyes wide as he stared at the expensive leather. “Where do you live then?” he asked softly.

 

“Malibu, you’ll like it. Near the ocean, lot’s of sunshine,” Tony wanted the kid there yesterday, far away from this place and the monsters inside of it.

 

Steely blue eyes rose to glare into guarded brown ones. “Why should I trust you,” Steve demanded, his voice laced with steel. Tony hadn’t been expecting that, “I don’t even know who you are.”

 

The kid was smart, Tony had to give him that. “I’m Tony Stark,” he explained, offering Steve his press smile, “And you don’t need to trust me, you just need to do what I say.”

 

Steve’s eyes narrowed at that. There was spirit in the kid, Tony wasn’t going to deny that. It was something Bruce had been afraid would be sucked out after years in the asylum. Too bad that spirit was probably going to get the kid killed.

 

“I’ll go with you, but that doesn’t mean I’ll do whatever you say,” Steve snapped. Tony’s smile turned into a real one. Steve still had spunk, this was going to be great.

 

“That’s fine with me,” Tony chuckled, “That motto can keep you safe.”

 

Especially in his world, which Steve was now a part of.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more friends will appear in this chapter, and one of the bad guys. I say one because there will be a ton. If anyone can guess what Loki is in this, I will be amazed. Just remember no one actually knows what she is so far, so if someone says she is this, they're probably wrong.

The ocean was a wonderful thing. All power and color that swirled together to create one massive thing that could blast through whatever stood in its way. Nature was a truly wonderful thing that wasn’t easily harnessed by the humans on the beach. They were all insignificant bits of sand that existed together as one collective unit.

 

It was remarkably reassuring to be reminded of how insignificant a single person could be. Especially when people were continuously telling him how important he actually was.

 

Steve smiled gently to himself as he continued sketching the ocean from his perch on the beach. It was hidden from the main part of the beach, tucked into the rocks that were underneath the house he was staying in. Well, it wasn’t just a house he was staying in anymore. Now it was a home.

 

Home was the most important thing Steve had learned about when he’d been taken from the asylum five years ago. Homes were the places where you were kept warm and safe from the outside world. People who loved you were in them, ready to tug you into a loving hug and kiss your forehead when nightmares came for you in the middle of the night. Homes protected you from the monsters that went bump in the night with a threshold to keep the monsters out.

 

His life had changed so greatly in these five years he’d been brought to Malibu by Tony. Tony gave him everything he never knew he needed. When Steve woke up screaming from nightmares of halls of white and nothing else, Tony was the one to wake him up and pull him close. Tony was the one to whisper he was safe and hold Steve until he fell asleep in those warm arms that cradled him and kept him safe.

 

Tony was the one to give Steve the access to an education he’d never been able to have. Tony was also the one to notice Steve’s fascination with colors and had gone out and bought Steve a punch of paints and told him to go nuts. Of course Steve had ended up covering the entire living room in multicolored paint along with himself.

 

“What are you working on?”

 

Steve turned and grinned happily up at Tony. The billionaire was leaning against the rocks above him with a gentle smile on his face, eyes hidden once again behind sunglasses. It had been the first thing Tony had taught Steve, that vampires did not actually burn up in sunlight. Instead it was that their eyes were sensitive to light changes and they didn’t typically go into the sun because of that.

 

Steve moved slightly to the side, leaning against Tony’s leg instead of the rock. A warm hand carded through his hair, a comforting presence to Steve who had been deprived of physical contact for so long.

 

“I’m drawing the ocean,” Steve said happily, eyes closing while Tony gently petted his head, “I like how the colors sparkle on the water as the waves move.”

 

Tony chuckled softly at that, “You and colors. It’s precious angel.”

 

That was another strange thing Steve had noticed. Tony would always call him angel while gently pulling him away from windows and back indoors. It had become a codeword in Steve’s  mind for when it was time to go inside.

 

Steve hummed softly, “I wanted to watch a movie, but I couldn’t figure out how to work the tv.”

 

It was a lie. Steve had figured it out awhile ago but he knew Tony always felt bad about leading him back indoors and out of the sun. And there it was, Steve could feel Tony’s hand tighten slightly in his hair. It was a tell just as obviously as Tony calling him angel.

 

“Is there something specific you want to watch angel?” Tony murmured gently, helping Steve up on his feet and pulling him in close. Steve just let Tony hold him close, knowing now that  some days Tony just needed to know Steve was safe and present. And if a quick hug was what he needed then Steve would happily let him indulge.

 

Steve pulled away and started back up the rocky path making sure to smile back at Tony. “Why don’t you pick out a movie for me?” Steve asked softly, happy that with the simple question Tony’s entire expression brightened as he happily fell into step besides Steve.

 

“I have a perfectly good idea for what we’re going to watch now,” Tony chattered away excitedly as they walked into the rather expensive house Tony owned and Steve now considered his home, “It might scare you though, so I think you should start the movie cuddled up close to me so I can keep you safe...”

 

“You will do no such thing.” Steve turned and offered a shy smile to Bruce as the doctor stepped into the room. Bruce didn’t spare him a glance then, instead too busy glaring Tony into submission in the living room.

 

“Steve,” Bruce said slowly, “You’re teacher is waiting for you in the study to continue your lessons. Why don’t you head there?”

 

Steve ducked his head and headed out of the room, eyes downcast. Bruce waited until Steve had left before rounding on his friend.

 

“Really Tony? You can’t leave the boy be?” Bruce demanded, his eyes hard.

 

Tony glared right back, pulling off his sunglasses, “You have no right to tell me to leave him be.”

 

“He’s a child,” Bruce reasoned, “He doesn’t know the game you’re playing at Tony.”

 

“I’m not playing with him,” Tony snarled stepping forward to glare into Bruce’s eyes, “Steve is powerful, far too powerful to be left alone and defenseless. And that’s what I’m doing is keeping him safe.”

 

“How is getting him in your bed keeping him safe?” Bruce demanded glaring right back.

 

“That is irrelevant,” Tony snapped back angry Bruce would think that, “I am not keeping him around to keep him safe and happy. And if that means keeping him in my bed then so be it.”

 

Bruce stepped in close, his teeth lengthening into sharp looking fangs, “I swear to God Tony, if you want him for a quick and fun time...”

 

Tony snarled at that eyes flashing red as his canines lengthened into fangs, “He is NOT some pretty little toy I am going to use then throw away Bruce!”

 

Bruce stepped back, his eyes hardening into a harsh glare, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

 

Steve calmly took a seat in the lounge, smiling gently at his teacher. She was a beautiful woman with striking features. Severe and harsh when needed but she would also hand out praise when Steve truly deserved it. There was something otherworldly about her, similar to the same feeling that Tony and Bruce had when Steve was around them.

 

She did not smile back, it simply wasn’t in her nature to do so. Instead she inclined her head and sank into the seat opposite of Steve with inhuman grace. She acted like a queen, or at least how Steve imagined a queen to act, and if someone told him she was the ruler of a kingdom he would not be surprised in the least.

 

“Good afternoon Ms. Natasha,” Steve said respectfully knowing she always appreciated manners, “I hope you’ve had a good day?”

 

Natasha quirked an eyebrow, an amused tug of her lips her only expression. “It could have been better,” Natasha admitted softly, “But it’s things you wouldn’t understand yet though you will in good time. Now, how has your reading been going?”

 

And so Steve tells her. The two enter into a comfortable discussion about Chaucer’s Tales, weaving the story between them. They speak of the Church and religion, they speak of rulers, and they speak of just the simple people who go on the journey.

 

“They’re my favorite ones,” Steve explained softly, “I like reading about the simple people who are going about their day on the pilgrimage.”

 

“And yet the knight is more powerful and a better figure,” Natasha reminded him gently her eyes slowly calculating each of Steve’s answers, “He is a strong leader, one who is to be looked up to.”

 

“Everyone writes stories about men like that,’ Steve admitted softly, “Great men who do great things. I just wanted to read about a simple man who did simple things.”

 

Natasha eyed him for a long moment before leaning back in her chair, “You see the people in this house as being great men and women, while you are a simple one.”

 

It was true wasn’t it? Tony was a genius, one who had been kind enough to offer his home to Steve and welcome him into it. Bruce was a fantastic doctor who had already helped so many different people. And finally there was Pepper, who was gone right now, but managed to keep an entire business floating and prospering no matter what Tony managed to do.

 

Next to them, Steve was the insignificant one. The one who should fade into the background and never be noticed again. It was comforting in a way, the same way being a speck next to the ocean was comforting. There was something about knowing how insignificant you are that makes everything better.

 

“You’re not just a person Steve, not anymore,” Natasha explained gently, “You were in the asylum but now, you’re out here in the world. And in the world you are the most important figure on the board and will continue to be so for the rest of your life. There’s no getting around it.”

 

Steve scowled at that. Pepper and Tony and Bruce had all said something similar to him but  it couldn’t be true. “I’m just a kid from Brooklyn,” Steve countered.

 

Natasha’s smile was a nasty thing, “You are a lot more than just that. And soon you’ll find out how special you truly are.”

 

“Special enough for someone to hire me to come look for you.”

 

Steve startled at the silky voice that whispered gently in his ear. A thin pale hand came to rest on his shoulder, but its daintiness was betrayed by the strength that came off of the slight figure.

 

Natasha froze in horror as she stared at the woman behind Steve. It had been many ages since the two women had crossed paths. “Coatlicue,” Natasha said slowly, getting to her feet and edging towards Steve, “What are you doing here?”

 

“Stane hired me to get him the boy,” the voice breathed into Steve’s ear before a forked tongue ran across his cheek, “Although looking at the boy now, I might just keep him for myself. He looks delicious.”

 

Natasha snarled, “You touch a single hair on his head, and I will end you goddess or no.”

 

A hand that was like iron pressed against Steve’s throat, pulling him from his seat and into the arms of the woman holding him. He couldn’t help but tremble softly in her grip. She was gorgeous, there was no doubt about that. Long inky black hair fell over one eyes while the other acidic green eye was trapped on Natasha. Her black lips were pulled back into a wicked and deranged smile while a long green dress hugged her body. This Coatlicue was a rather sensual creature Steve admitted privately to himself, but she was definitely dangerous.

 

“Let him go now Viper, and I might not crush your throat with my bare hands,” Natasha snarled out and her green eyes flashed a deep soul searing blue in that moment.

 

Coatlicue laughed darkly, pulling Steve even closer to her body, “Let’s see you try Romanav.”

 

The change was instantaneous. One moment Natasha looked like a pretty young woman. The next she was something else. Her curly red hair now hung limp and stringy dripping water onto the hardwood floor. Her eyes were the same blue, a film over her pupils and iris that just showed the dark blue of deep rivers and lakes. Her practical dress disappeared leaving a waterlogged black dress that hung in tatters around her body. Her nails lengthened into claws and scales appeared on her arms and legs.

 

Natasha smiled darkly, revealing needlepoint teeth, “Oh Viper. You always were an idiot, even for one of the blood gods. This is going to be fun.”

 

A single moment of stillness passed between the two women, Steve hanging between them. And then they lunged.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coatlicue: the Aztec goddess of snakes, she is famous for her skirt of snakes. She exists off or mortal blood and is very dangerous.
> 
> Rusalka: Russian myth. They're said to be beautiful water spirits who eat travelers after drowning them, some say they are mermaids, some say they are nymphs, and some say they are the souls of drowned women. For this one, they are the ghosts or drowned women, so Tasha is a rather vengeful spirit who drowns travelers before she came to work for Tony.


	5. Chapter 5

There is something to be said for creatures of the water. Few of them were born to the water, instead many of them were forced to join it. The most typical way for a person to join with the water was to die in it. Drownings, while becoming rare in the modern day, were common so long ago.

 

There was something to be said for deaths, especially violent ones. They left behind spirits no matter what happened. Sometimes the spirits left, sometimes they stayed. The ones who stayed were dangerous, they were usually pissed and powerful. The ones to always look out for were the spirits that were angry and strong enough to become a supernatural creature.

 

Natasha was one of these creatures.

 

It is necessary to understand this because there is nothing like having a furious young redhead slam into a powerful goddess. A funny image no doubt. But this young woman was a very old, and very pissed spirit so behind her small and slight body there was a good couple thousand years of pent up rage that transferred into a supernatural whammy that sent Coatlicue flying through the glass doors that separated the study from the rest of the mansion.

 

Natasha didn’t wait for the goddess to get up, instead rushing forward with unnatural speed and going straight for Coatlicue’s throat. However the goddess had already gotten to her feet and was ready for Natasha.

 

A hand stronger than iron grabbed Natasha by the throat and pulled her off of her feet. Coatlicue smiled darkly, leaning in to whisper, “Such a pretty little thing. So powerful for one of your kind but still just a mortal underneath all of that rage. No mortal can stand against me.”

 

“Good thing she’s not the only one here then.” Natasha grinned darkly at that tone. Coatlicue turned to see the new attacker but was far too slow. A very angry Tony Stark swung his broadsword at the goddesses head. Coatlicue had to let go of Natasha to dodge which was a rather bad idea.

 

With a scream of rage Natasha dug her claws into the goddesses side. She hissed darkly, twisting her claws and taking vicious pleasure as black blood poured from her side. Coatlicue snarled and backhanded Natasha, sending her flying across the room to smash into the wall. The redhead sunk to the floor, hissing violently.

 

Coatlicue smiled darkly and advanced on Tony who pointed his sword at her. His eyes were blood red and his fangs were obvious as he stood shaking with rage. Coatlicue stepped forward and hissed violently, lunging forward and aiming a punch for Tony’s head.

 

Tony ducked under her and managed to swipe his sword across her back. She threw her head back and let out a ear shattering scream of pain and rage, her skin smoking where the sword cut her.

 

“What did you put on that sword?” Coatlicue screamed in rage, her eye crazed with rage.

 

“That would be venom from a giant snake who circles the world,” Tony snapped back, red eyes hard in rage, “Now I’m only going to tell you once. Get the hell out of my house, or I will end you.”

 

“How can you end me if you’re too busy dying in pain?” Coatlicue murmured sweetly, her eye flashing with manic glee. Reaching down she tore a strip off of her dress and hurled it at Tony. In mid air it transformed into a snake that sunk its fangs into Tony’s neck. With a scream of pain he dropped the sword and sunk to the ground, clutching at his neck in agony as the snake pumped venom into him.

 

Coatlicue threw back her head and laughed in delight, clapping her hands like a young girl as she giggled. Her laugh transformed into a scream of pain as Natasha slammed her claws into the goddesses neck.

 

“I suggest you get out,” Natasha snarled lowly.

 

With a wail of pain and hatred, Coatlicue disappeared as quickly as she had appeared leaving the two in the hallway. Natasha transformed back into her typical form before kneeling next to Tony on the floor.

 

“I can’t believe you let her get you in the neck,” Natasha muttered under her breath, “You’re getting sloppy Stark.”

 

Tony just gasped in pain, the snake transforming back into the strip of green fabric. “How is Steve? Did she hurt him?” Tony demanded.

 

“He’s fine,” Natasha muttered as Steve came tearing out of the study. Steve paled when his eyes landed on Tony, and the blond rushed over to kneel next to Tony on the floor. In a matter of seconds Tony was cradled in Steve’s arms as the blond fretted over him.

 

“Is he alright?” Steve asked Natasha while Tony groaned and curled into Steve’s warm arms.

 

“He’ll be fine, idiot got bitten by a snake,” Natasha looked up again and nodded at the newcomer who had been in the study watching over Steve as they had fought in the hallway. The rather large wolf came padding into the room and sat next to Steve before nudging the blond with his snout.

 

“Dr. Banner, do you want to change back anytime soon?” Natasha snapped. She wasn’t typically so rude, but being next to a giant wolf would make anyone uncomfortable. Said wolf gave her a glare before nudging Steve again, trying to get the blond to stand up.

 

“I’m going to get Tony to bed,” Steve informed Bruce gently, his blue eyes scared, “He’ll be alright won’t he?”

 

“He just needs to sleep it off,” Natasha assured him, “He’ll be fine in the morning.”

 

Steve nodded and helped Tony to his feet before the two staggered down the hallway together. Natasha and Bruce looked after the two of them with uneasy expressions.

 

“Should we be concerned we’re letting Steve take Tony to his room?” Natasha muttered under her breath.

 

Bruce just let out a wuff and flopped onto his stomach before giving her a mournful look. Natasha sighed before muttering, “I know. It’s a matter of time before this happens.”

 

Bruce just let out a mournful sounding sigh before nudging Natasha’s foot. The two just sat in the hallway, gazing at the destroyed study. It was finally starting.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long, my laptop broke and I am learning how to work the iPad which hates editing anything. So sorry. Good news is I have a huge chunk done and will be posting it soon. 
> 
> Anyone who can guess who Silver is wins a cookie.

Steve gently helped Tony through the mansion making sure he supported Tony the entire way. Steve knew Tony wouldn’t be able to support himself not while the poison was coursing through his veins. Steve didn’t know much about vampires, only the little that Natasha had taught him and the small tidbits of information that Tony passed along.

He knew that poison wouldn’t kill a vampire. Very few things in the world could actually kill one, and it wasn’t even stakes to the heart or holy water. Stakes slowed them down and holy water made them angry. The only thing that could actually kill a vampire was by beheading them.

“What hit me?” Tony grumbled, pressing his face to Steve’s neck and nuzzling it. He could smell the blood pumping through Steve’s veins, a simple life force that was just waiting for him to taste and feast on.

“A snake hit you in the throat,” Steve told him softly while opening the door to Tony’s room and leading the vampire inside.

The room was as rich as everything else in Tony’s house. A large bed that could easily fit five people in the bed of Tony had wanted to. The sheets were silk, along with the army of pillows coated in silk also. The thick curtains were closed, keeping the room shrouded in darkness and hidden from the Malibu sunshine.

Steve gently lowered Tony onto the soft bed, running an affectionate hand through the unruly black hair. Tony pressed his face into Steve’s arm, breathing in the smell of life. Without thinking Tony licked the vein that was there, knowing on an instinctive level that blood was there. Blood that he needed to heal, blood that would wash the poison from his veins.

Steve gasped at the new sensation against his skin, sinking onto the bed next to Tony. The vampire gripped his wrist and pulled the young human into the bed with him. Kissing his way up Steve’s arm, he paused at the forearm before biting into the large vein that was pulsing there.

Tony sunk his fangs into the vein, sucking the blood free. Steve gasped in delight stunned by the pleasure that was running through his veins. One of the things no one had never told him was the chemical all vampires released when they fed that left their victims feeling a sense of euphoria. Steve fell back on the seats, writhing in pleasure as Tony continued to feed off of him.

Silk sheets rustled under him as Steve was rolled onto his back as his shirt was pulled off due to him trying to curl into Tony’s body. A warm tan hand pressed against his bare stomach as Tony pulled away from Steve’s wrists, eyes shining gently as he smiled at the blond below him. Tony pressed down, a reassuring presence that grounded him when warm lips pressed against his own in a soft kiss. They lingered there for a second before the kiss became more heated. The other hand cupped his cheek, a warm reminder of how safe her was, how precious he was to this wonderful being that stole the breath from his lungs.

Desire began to pool low in his stomach and Steve couldn’t help but squirm. He wasn’t used to these feelings and he whimpered softly. Those warm lips let out a huff of amusement before pressing a loving kiss to Steven’s forehead while the hand on his stomach moved down to gently stroke him.

“It’s alright,” Tony whispered, pressing a series of kisses to Steve’s neck, “Just trust me angel. I’ll make everything better.”

If someone asked Steve what happened that night, he wouldn’t have been able to tell you. All he knew was it was a sea of sensations he had never felt before. He spent the night writhing under Tony’s warm body while pleasure swept through his frame. And when Tony wasn’t stringing out delicate cries from Steve he was feeding off of the blond.

When they finally finished, Steve was lying there with blown eyes. His entire body was limp, bite marks slowly dripping blood covering him. His head was resting on Tony’s chest while the vampire played with his sweat dampened hair.

Tony sighed softly, pressing a kiss to Steve’s forehead, “I didn’t want this to happen.”

Steve frowned at that, cuddling close. “You don’t want me?” Steve asked softly, trying not to let Tony hear the heartbreak in his voice.

“Of course I want you,” Tony grumbled pulling Steve closer, “But angel I didn’t want to take you like this. When I took you as my own, and I was going to, I would romance you with dinner and a walk on the beach because I know how much you love the ocean. Then I would take you to bed, make sure everything was perfect for you and then claim you.”

Steve hummed sleepily while nuzzling Tony’s neck, “Did you claim me?”

“Oh hell yeah I claimed you,” Tony growled, tilting Steve’s head back and kissing the blond, “No one will ever touch you again. You’re mine for the rest of eternity.”

Steve smiled at that and kissed the underside of Tony’s jaw, “I like that. Does that mean I’m a thrall?”

Tony froze, his arm tightening around Steve to the point where it was painful. “Where did you here that phrase?” Tony demanded, his voice soft and dangerous.

“Pepper told me,” Steve muttered, “Is it something bad?”

“...Do you remember how strange Eskrine was acting when I came to get you,” Tony waited until Steve nodded to continue, “He was one of Stane’s thralls. When a vampire makes a thrall, he takes a human and strips away their will. They’re left as puppets in their masters control their very actions. They have no will of their own, they’re worse than livestock.”

Steve frowned at that, “People aren’t livestock Tony.”

“Sure they’re not,” Tony muttered, “A claim is different. When a vampire claims a person, they’re choosing their mate. It can be anything as long as they love them. They’re equals it’s not the master slave relationship like a thrall.”

“That’s good,” Steve muttered gently smiling to himself while Tony pressed kisses to his face.

“I have a present for you,” Tony murmured softly, reaching into his nightstand and pulling out a beautiful necklace. A small silver crucifix shone as Tony gently placed it around Steve’s neck before leaning in to kiss him again. “It will keep you safe when I am not there angel,” Tony murmured while pulling Steve in close and cuddling the mortal. The two lay together for a while longer before Steve finally dozed off, happy and content in Tony’s warm arms.

_She was beautiful in a strange way. Wicked green eyes stared at him while the bright grin crossed her face as she leaned forward to stare into his eyes._

_“I’m surprised it took you so long to meet me little one,” she purred. Her voice was like smoke, thick and rich while hiding a series of secrets. She was different than any other being Steve had ever encountered. “Stark keeps you rather well protected from the like of me.”_

_Steve approached her cautiously knowing by now that not creatures who looked kind and beautiful were actually like that. “And who are you?” Steve demanded, taking a look around the room for the first time. It was a beautiful room that was made of carved ice. Spectacular in every way._

_The woman laughed brightly before throwing herself into a delicate looking ice chair. She cocked an eyebrow while resting a pale hand on her cheek. “I am known by many names little Walker,” she purred, “None of which you need to know of yet.”_

_Steve just stared at her in confusion, “Then what am I to call you?”_

_“Silver,” she said with a cackling laugh, “That’s the safest name I can give you. Any other and perhaps Stark and Banner will recognize me.”_

_Steve just stared at Silver, “Why don’t you want them to recognize you? Have you done something particularly bad that I should be aware of?”_

_“What? No,” Silver rolled her eyes in annoyance, “It’s simply this. Stark is friends with a very powerful being. A being who I don’t want to deal with. And not because of something bad I have done, that is not why.”_

_Silver got to her feet in a move so elegant even Natasha would have been jealous. She fixed Steve with an imperial look, “You see, I am currently not supposed to be involved with any of your problems. By order of my very demanding children. But there’s no fun in that so I am now getting myself involved by helping you.”_

_Steve just stared at her in confusion, “And how are you helping me?”_

_Silver stepped closer, grinning wickedly, “Tell me Steve, do you know why Stane is after you? Why Stark is so protective of you and how he got so many supernatural powerhouses to work together to defend you?”_

_“Somehow I get the feeling you’ll tell me,” Steve muttered darkly._

_“Stane thinks you’re something special, and in a sense he’s right,” Silver announced with a wicked grin, “But not with how he thinks. You’re a Walker Steve, something special that people have long since forgotten. But I haven’t.”_

_Steve stepped closer to her, “What am I then?”_

_“Not telling,” Silver singsonged, “But I can tell you someone who will.”_

_Silver snapped her fingers and everything changed. Instead of the room of ice they stood floating above a map. Silver was still wearing the same intricate gown from before, a long flowing green dress with gold embroidery._

_“This is the mansion Stark has placed you in,” Silver pointed at a dot, her eyes sparkling with delight. She took three steps across the map, the scenery of the map changing with her stride until she pointed at another building, “And this is where you need to go.”_

_Steve stared at it in confusion, “And where is it?”_

_“Puente Antiguo,” Silver sounded ridiculously smug, her greens eyes sparkling wildly, “When you get there, I want you to ask for Darcy Lewis. She’ll be the one to tell you what you are, and how to use it.”_

_“And how am I going to get there?” Steve demanded, fixing Silver with a glare._

_Silver laughed brightly at that before wrapping her arms around Steve. She fixed him with a wicked grin, “Oh Steve. There’s one thing you should know about me. And that’s this, I plan for everything.”_

_With a cackle of delight Silver dissolved into smoke, “Just keep Stark from killing my son-in-law and we’ll be even.”_

_Steve woke up with a gasp, eyes wide. Tony gently pulled him in close his eyes concerned, “Steve, what’s wrong? Did you have another nightmare_?”

“No,” Steve whispered softly, pressing his face into Tony’s neck, “Just a really strange dream...”

Tony hummed thoughtfully, “Clowns or midgets?” Steve felt justified in punching Tony in the arm.

Several hundred miles away a very happy girl bounced into the room and wrapped her arms around a man sitting on her couch.

“I need a favor from you, brother mine,” she purred in his ear.

The man turned and fixed her with a questioning look. Full lips spread into a grin before she whispered, “I need you to pick up someone for me. A certain Steve Rogers.”

The man’s face split into a wolfish grin. It was on.


	7. Chapter 7

The drive from New Mexico had been a long and difficult one but it was worth it in the end. He’d been asked by sort-of-kind-of sister-in-law to pick someone up and bring them in. Someone there was special enough to get the attention of his mother-in-law-thing. She was a powerful creature in her own right, one who the knowledgeable of the supernatural world feared and respected in equal amounts.

Which was why he was parked outside of the famous Stark Malibu house gazing up at it with a put upon expression on his face. This building had the best security in the mortal world and the supernatural world.

“This is going to suck,” Clint Barton muttered softly to himself while getting out of his car. He reached into the car and pulled out his bow and arrow. With a final sigh he started towards the fence.

Clint leaned against the wall where the buzzer was and stared at the camera. He pushed up his glasses on his nose and offered the winning smile that had gotten him his girl. “Hi there, can someone let me in?” he asked.

There was a long moment of silence before a dry British voice asked, “And who would this be?”

Shit.

Stark has a spirit of intellect guarding his house. They were old spirits that gathered information, all knowing basically, and they could apply this knowledge when they felt like it. The majority of them were emotionless due to them being so wrapped up in their information but the ones with emotion were the dangerous ones.

And this one definitely sounded like he had emotions.

“Tell them that Clint Barton was sent by Natasha Romanav,” Clint said with a bright grin, “She wanted me to take Steve out on a field trip because she was busy today.”

There was a long silence before the gate swung open. Clint grinned to himself, being smart enough not to say anything as he walked up the driveway to give himself away.

Everything was going exactly to plan which made Clint rather nervous. If something was going to go horribly wrong, it would happen soon. Clint knocked on the door and waited patiently until the door opened. A nervous looking blond stood on the other side of the door, nervously playing with the hem of his shirt.

“Can I help you?” the blond asked hesitantly.

“You Steve Rogers?” Clint demanded. The boy nodded and Clint grinned brightly before grabbing the blond and dragging him out of the house, “You have to come with me right now. Lives are in forfeit if you don’t come and by lives I mean mine because if you don’t come with me Loki will murder me in my sleep and then feed my corpse to her son.”

“What does that mean?” Steve demanded while Clint stuck him in the passenger seat of the car, “Who is Loki?”

Clint slid into the car and slammed on the gas rather happy he wouldn’t be anywhere near the Stark mansion for a good fifty years.

“Loki is the one who told my sister-in-law about you,” Clint explained while happily speeding down the highway, “She is kind of the puppeteer behind the scenes right now. I’m not sure why but it’s between her and Stane right now.”

“Tony told me about Stane,” Steve admitted gently.

“Stane wants you for your ability. It’s a powerful things, one only mortals have,” Clint admitted, “And before you ask, I don’t know what that is. I’m just the archer and the boyfriend so there wasn’t any reason for Loki to tell me what up. I just get directed to what I shoot at.”

Steve hummed softly and the two descended into silence for the duration of the car ride. A few days later the two arrived in Puente Antiguo and Steve froze as he stared at the building he was supposed to be staying in.

“It looks like...an abandoned diner,” Steve muttered, getting out of the car and staring up at the strange and rusty building.

“That’s because it is,” Clint admitted, leading Steve towards the building, “Jane found the place three years ago and we just kind of moved in. Right now it’s just me, Jane, Darce, and Phil.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at that as the two moved into the building. “Are they all humans?” Steve asked softly as they two walked into the main area where a couple of chairs were placed along with a beaten up couch.

“God no, none of us are human,” Clint rolled his eyes as they both sat on the couch, “If we were human we would have been killed off a long time ago. Each of us is something different and that’s why we were all brought together for protection. Jane is a genius loci, which is a Roman spirit of protection. She is the one who protects the sciences of the world, it leads to a rather scatterbrained spirit. Then there’s me, I’m a changeling if you know what that is.”

“Natasha told me it’s a fairie that replaced a human child,” Steve admitted while offering Clint a slight smile.

“That’s exactly what I am,” Clint grinned brightly, “Haven’t figured out what type of fairie I was but who cares. Then there’s Phil, we got married a decade ago. He’s a giant wolf.”

“So a werewolf.”

“No, just a giant wolf,” Clint muttered, “And Darcy is a....you know, I’m not entirely sure about that. She’s a half corpse but not a ghoul. I checked multiple times.”

Steve just nodded, curling up into himself. “And which one is going to be the one to talk to me?” Steve asked softly.

“That would be me.” Steve turned and stared in awe at the beautiful young woman walking into the room. Her slightly wavy brown hair framed her face while her eyes were hidden by thick glasses. She had rather noticeable assets that her sweater accented nicely.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Darcy,” she held her hand which Steve quickly stood to shake. “Please take a seat. Now I’ve been told by Loki that you’re a Walker. It’s been a long time since we met one of your kind.”

“And what is one of my kind?” Steve asked softly, “I’ve heard the term Walker thrown around by you and Silver and Clint.”

“Silver?” Clint mutter to which Darcy answered, “Loki.”

“You’re more than just a simple vanilla mortal,” Darcy explained, leaning forward with a grin, “You’re a Dream Walker.”

“Oh,” Steve leaned forward, “What’s a Dream Walker?”

Darcy chuckled to herself before leaning back in the seat, “There’s a lot to fill you in on before you’re guardians come to get you.”


	8. Chapter 8

Long ago, back when the world was young the different races all lived in harmony. There were balances between them all so that no one race dominate the others. For many years there was peace. Until one day the Other came to power.

The Other was a strange creature that no one had encountered before and he caused the races to go to war. The Frost Giant king was prepared for a new child and the Other stole the child away. The Other then pinned the supposed death of the child on the Asgardians. This caused the war between the Frost Giants and the Asgardians for many years.

While the balance was disrupted the other races went to war against each other. Soon the races noted that the humans were easy prey. And so the other races began to feed off of the humans.

The humans did not stand a chance, their only hope stood with the few races who fought by their sides. Eventually the humans grew wise to the monsters that were after them. They learned that there were certain gifts only humans could access. Some became great warriors, one known to the people as Beowulf. Some became prophets like the Oracle of Delphi. And a select few became Dream Walkers, these were the most rare.

Dream Walkers were often confused as prophets because they could move through time in their dreams. They can’t control where they go, instead they’re dragged through time and forced to watch it in their dreams.

They can only talk to people in their dreams if the other person summons them. This was how Loki was able to talk to Steve in his dream. It was also because of this that Stane wanted to capture Steve, thinking the boy was a prophet and not a Dream Walker.

“That’s why this is happening,” Steve whispered, his head in his hands, “That’s why Stane is hurting others.”

“It’s because most of the Dream Walker lines have died out that you’re so rare,” Darcy explained, smacking Clint’s hand when the archer reached for her coffee, “Which is why Stane can’t know you’re true lineage.”

“Stane as in Obidah Stane?” Clint asked, his eyes wide, “That guy is bad news. He killed a ton of my kin a while ago.”

“And kind of set Thor on Loki,” Darcy finished with a small huff.

Steve just stared at them causing the two friends to share a look before Clint explained. “Stane kind of pinned a murder on Asgard on Loki,” Clint muttered, “So now the crown prince of Asgard swore to take vengeance on Loki and bring her to justice.”

“But she didn’t do it?” Steve clarified.

“No, Loki’s seen to be as powerful as any vanilla mortal,” Darcy explained, “She’s also connected to Stark which is putting her up there on Stane’s hit list right now.”

“But you only have to deal with Stane,” Clint reassured Steve, “And I’ll help you with that.”

Steve smiled gently at Clint, “Thank you for that.”


	9. Chapter 9

Far above the ground was a very tense plane ride with a series of people sat glaring at each other. They each sat in a chair glaring at each other except for one of the people.

“Let me get this straight,” Loki demanded, “You want me, a simple mortal, to break into a room to get back Steve?”

“That’s right,” Tony told her, sliding his sunglasses down his nose to glare at her, “Is there a problem with this Loki?”

Loki snorted while digging her finger into something she had found in the fridge, “My problem is that you want me to break into a building where a being who managed to Charm a spirit of intelligence. And whoever he has as allies.”

Bruce frowned at that, “You think he has allies with him?”

“No shit he has allies,” Loki snapped while fixing them with a glare, “This is a changeling, not an idiot. He’s probably a master at using his powers to get what he wants especially since he got past you’re secuirty Stark. What makes you think I can get past him and grab Steve?”

“Who said you’ll be doing it alone?” Natasha questioned, leaning forward and smiling darkly, “I’ll be dealing with Barton. We crossed paths in Budapest and I’ve been dying to get back at him. Stark and Banner will deal with whatever other threat is there. You grab Steve and get out and we get the hell out of the town.”

Loki just stared at her, brown goop dripping down her fingers to land on the rather expensive Italian leather seats. “That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard,” Loki snapped, “You don’t even know what you’re facing!”

“We’re dealing with Stane,” Tony growled at her, his eyes flashing red.

“How do you know that! There is no way for you to know that since you don’t know what we’re dealing with!” Loki rolled her eyes in annoyance, “Amateurs. You guys are complete and utter morons. Seriously I am going to get murdered all because you idiots can’t figure out how to pull of a good heist!”

With a scream of rage Loki threw the bowl of whatever it was at Tony’s head before storming down the plane while screaming about uneducated idiots before locking herself in the bathroom.

Bruce stared after Loki in confusion before turning to Tony, “Who is that exactly?”

“Loki is a thief I met a decade ago,” Tony admitted with an eye roll, “She was stealing a statue from a party I was attending and I ran into her right before she jumped out a third story window. She walked away from it perfectly fine.”

“Rumor says she’s the Rameses, the master thief from Egyptian mythology,” Natasha explained softly, “No magical talent to speak of, but a powerful thief. Not sure how long she’s been alive honestly, but every other word out of her mouth is a lie so don’t take anything she says for granted.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow at that staring at the bathroom door. He could hear grumbling and swearing from the bathroom which was a rather interesting. He had never encountered someone like her before in all of his travels. This master thief was a strange one.

The door slammed open and out stormed Loki with a fierce scowl on her pretty face. She was dressed in black combat boots, black shorts, a green top and a gold headband on top. She looked incredible in Bruce’s eyes.

“Nice thieving outfit,” Tony commented, his eyebrow raising, “I take it you’re going to do the job?”

Loki pointed at him and scowled fiercely, “Shut up and never speak of this again or I will disembowel you with spoon.”

She then threw herself into a seat and glared at the floor. The rest of the ride was silent, even as they moved into the car. Bruce stiffened when Loki slouched against him, pouting as she glared out the window. Any attempts to talk were quickly silenced when Loki would hiss and glare at the person who dared to disturb the silence.

“They’re in there,” Loki muttered, staring at the building in horror, “An abandoned diner. Holy shit, this is the stupidest thing ever. Stark, I am going to kill you.”

“Just go,” Natasha snapped, pushing the thief out of the car.

Loki stumbled to her feet, tossing her braid over her shoulder with a huff as she stalked towards the diner. “That girl is crazier than a bag of cats,” Bruce muttered.

“You have no idea,” Tony muttered watching Loki take off into a sprint. The girl got up speed, and with that she jumped up and hooked onto the edge of the roof. Swinging backwards she flipped herself onto the roof and crouched there long enough to flip off Tony.

With an audible crack of her neck Loki pulled back her arm and punched through ceiling before dropping into the building and disappearing. Natasha just blinked, “Did she just punch through the roof?”

“I don’t question her,” Tony muttered.

Inside of the building Loki dropped onto a table. She didn’t land in the common room where her daughter was expecting her. Instead she landed in a lab full of both magical equipment and scientific equipment.

Loki just blinked before turning slowly about. “This is not where I was expecting to be,” Loki muttered darkly. This was not her lucky day.

She crossed her arms over her chest and kicked a chair rather petulantly. Loki turned and then froze when she made eye contact with another woman. This woman was rather pretty, but she looked rumpled and slightly underfed. Both just gazed at each other with big eyes.

“Um, hi there?” Loki waved slowly with an awkward grin, “Do you know where Steve is?”

The woman just took a step back before screaming, “Fenris! Intruder!”

Oh shit, she just said Fenris. Loki’s eyes widened before a large and furry weight slammed into her back. Loki let out an ear piercing scream as a giant wolf tackled her to the ground. She could use her magic to take out Fenris, but where was the fun in that?

Loki managed to scramble to her feet while kicking at the wolf who had paused in confusion at recognizing the being under him. Loki continued screaming as she launched herself out of the lab and threw herself into the main room. Getting to her feet, Loki paused watching the fight going on in front of her.

Natasha and Bruce-in-wolf-form were both fighting a half human half corpse and losing rather badly. Stark was fighting against Barton and was actually holding his own which was rather interesting in Loki’s opinion. She never knew Stark was actually that good at fighting. And where was...oh.

“Who knocked Steve unconscious?” Loki demanded to the room, putting her hands on her hips and scowling at the room at large. Of course no one responded to her because they were all too busy fighting each other.

Loki dropped to her knees right before the wolf was going to bite her in half. Rolling forward and out of the way Loki got to her feet in front of Steve. She raised a hand and twisted her fingers, creating a knife out of thin air. Grinning she flipped it a few times before lunging at Fenris.

Natasha ducked under the bone arm of her opponent. The woman’s pretty face was screwed up in an expression of rage as she kicked Bruce in the ribs. She then fixed Natasha with a dark glare, half of her face pretty but the other half a snarling skull.

“It’s been a while Natasha,” she snarled out.

Natasha smiled blandly at her, “Hello Darcy. It has been a while, how are you doing?”

With a scream of rage Darcy grabbed the nearest chair and threw it at Natasha’s face. The red head ducked before standing up to stare at the furious half corpse. Bruce darted forward, aiming a bite at her ankle before Darcy kicked him in the face. Darcy then turned and caught Natasha’s ankle before it connected with her face. Darcy then fixed her with a ugly smile before throwing Natasha into the wall and tackling Bruce.

Clint narrowed his eyes while trying to hit the vampire. The bloodsucker was wily which made him difficult to punch in the face. Especially when the vampire kept ducking his punches and swinging a sword at his face.

“Who still uses a sword?” Clint demanded, his eyes hard.

“Who uses a bow!” the vampire yelled back, his eyes blood red and using all of his enhanced speed and power to aim for Clint’s head. Clint was doing everything in his power to stop him and cut out the bloodsuckers heart but it wasn’t going so well.

With a wild war cry Clint tackled the vampire onto the couch and began to punch him in the face. The vampire in return began to kick him in the knees as hard as he could. The two continued to roll around on the couch punching and kicking each other.

Loki was too busy flipping and ducking away from the giant wolf jaws which were aiming at her face. It was quite distressing for her, she had just been planning on grabbing Steve and running but that wasn’t working out well for her now was it. Dropping into the splits Loki threw her knife at Fenris’s eye. It missed which pissed Loki off. She never missed.

“Stand still and let me stab you!” Loki screamed in rage, rushing forward and tackling the wolf. She and Fenris rolled across the ground biting at each other, and yes that does mean Loki was biting a giant wolf.

A loud scream from the back caused everyone to freeze. Darcy turned, her human half pale as a sheet at the scream.

“Jane,” she whispered, running from the room towards the lab with Clint and Fenris on her heels. Bruce and Natasha raced after them while Tony turned to Loki.

“Get Steve into the car! Now!” Tony ordered. Loki quickly saluted before throwing Steve over her shoulder and sprinting from the building. Tony rolled his eyes and followed the others. Running straight into the lab he froze at the horrifying sight.

A group of monstrous creatures stood in the lab. They were hulking monsters, hunched over with elongated arms. Grey eyes glowed and sere set deep into heavy forehead while their maws were filled with serrated yellow teeth that dripped with thick globs of drool. Their yellowed finger and toe nails were sharpened claws and all in all they were horrifying and repulsive.

“Shit, ghouls,” Tony muttered, narrowing his eyes. Ghouls would be almost impossible to kill. They were like cockroaches, to actually kill them their skulls had to be completely bashed in which was harder than it sounds.

“Someone must have sent them,” Clint muttered, nocking an arrow and aiming at their face, “Ghouls hate each other with a burning passion. They would never work together without incentive.”

Natasha frowned at that, “Stane must have sent them.”

Darcy bared her teeth at that, “Must be after the human. Fen and I will deal with these bastards. Nobody sends ghouls into our home and ruins it.”

Clint took a step back before muttering, “We should go before they rip us to shreds along with the ghouls.”

A quick look was exchanged before the entire group turned and ran towards the car, leaving Darcy and Fenris behind. They moved quickly before all clambering into the car. Natasha slid into the front seat with Jane in the passenger seat. Natasha slammed on the gas and they were peeling through the town in a matter of seconds and out into the open desert.

Tony let out a sigh of relief as they moved through desert. The first thing he did after recognizing that was turn and glare at Loki. “Give Steve here,” he demanded.

Loki just rolled her eyes before kicking Steve over to Tony. Tony snarled at her before gathering his claim into his arms, smoothing Steve’s hair from his eyes and fussing over him. Loki snorted before crossing her arms over her chest and glaring off into the distance.

The car was awkward and silent as they continued driving, no one quite sure how to deal with each other after the whole trying to murder each other. It was finally broken when Steve let out a slight moan of pain and his eyes fluttered open.

“Tony? What happened?” Steve demanded, pressing his face into Tony’s neck.

“Someone knocked you unconscious,” Tony murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of Steve’s head, “And when I find out I’m going to knock them unconscious in return.”

Clint fixed Tony with a glare, “That wouldn’t happen if you hadn’t come in swinging that sword trying to kill us!”

“I came in with the sword because Loki was screaming,” Tony fired back. The two glared at each other, with Bruce growling lowly on the floor. Steve just curled in closer as the tension continued to rise.

“I still don’t know why you came after us,” Jane muttered petulantly.

Natasha just snorted at that, “You kidnapped Steve and then you both disappeared.”

Clint just glared, “We only did this because Loki told me to kidnap the kid!”

“Loki did WHAT?” Tony turned to glare at her, and Loki glared back, “Why the hell would you ever have someone kidnap Steve you crazy bitch!”

“How do you know it’s me?” Loki demanded, “There are other people in the world with the name Loki! Just because someone named Loki said it doesn’t mean it was me!”

Natasha turned and glared at Loki, “Did you set it up?”

“That is irrelevant,” Loki turned away from them, and glared out the window, “Just because I did it doesn’t mean you should blame me.”

Tony stared at her in disbelief, “Yes it does!”

Loki just huffed and turned away. Tony and Clint continued to glare at her, while Natasha refused to look back at the thief. Jane and Bruce were both trying to avoid trouble while Steve continued to cuddle close to Tony. They were quiet right before storm clouds appeared in the sky. A loud clap of thunder echoed across the desert. Loki froze, her face paling at that.

“What wrong? Afraid of a little thunder?” Tony sneered, his face a mask of rage.

Loki just shrugged, “I’m not particularly fond of what follows.”

Steve gave her a confused look, “You mean thunder?”

Loki winced, “That’s one way to put it.”

Before anyone could demand what she meant by that, something smashed into the front of the car. The entire hood of the car crumpled like a soda can as the car lifted a good foot off the ground. Everyone was thrown forward, Bruce’s large furry body hitting the front and passenger seats. Tony wrapped himself around Steve to keep the human safe. The car finally settled to the ground and everyone exchanged looks of relief.

“Are you alright?” Tony asked Steve gently, checking the boy over. Steve smiled reassuringly back. But before he could respond the roof of the car was torn off. A large hand reached in and grabbed Loki’s braid and pulled her up, kicking and screaming. In a matter of seconds she was gone.

Clint just stared at the hole in shock, “What the hell was that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty soon you get to meet Thor and find out who Loki actually is!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we finally know what Loki is.

With a roar of rage, Bruce leaped out of the car through the giant gaping hole in the roof. There was a split second pause before Nastasha turned to Tony.“Are we going to save her?” Natasha asked.

“Nah....”

“Tony,” Steve fixed him with a glare, “You shouldn’t let them take your friend.”

“She’s not my friend Steve.”

Clint just rolled his eyes before kicking the door open and rushing into desert with his bow in his hand. Natasha’s eyes narrowed at that before she snarled “no way he’s showing me up” before sprinting from the car. Steve continued to glare at Tony until the vampire sighed and ran after them. Steve just settled back in his seat before giving Jane a smile.

“Want to watch the fight?” Jane asked.

“Oh hell yeah.”

There was a giant of a man standing in front of them. Dressed in full battle armor, he held in his hand a hammer. In the other he was holding Loki in the air by her braid, causing the woman to scream and kick the air.

Clint reeled back, his eyes wide, “Is that an Asgardian?”

“Looks like it,” Tony grumbled darkly, “Hey, Shakespeare in the park! Let the crazy woman go!”

The man fixed him with a glare, “She is a murderer and a thief. She must pay for her crimes on Asgard.”

“She’s working for me, making her my property until I pay her,” Tony snapped back, “I don’t like it when people take my stuff.”

Loki screamed in rage, “I AM NO ONE’S PROPERTY! RELEASE ME OR FACE MY WRATH!”

“SILENCE VILE WENCH!” the man roared, shaking her like a rat.

Bruce moved forward snarling low in his throat, lips peeled back to reveal his fangs. The man sneered at the wolf while the others got ready to fight. Natasha transformed into her scaly killing machine, while Clint prepared his arrows and Tony drew his sword.

Everyone was tense before Bruce sprung into action, lunging for the man’s throat. The man threw Loki at him, making thief and wolf connect and fall into a pile. Clint loosed an arrow but the man only caught it before breaking it in half. Natasha and Tony lunged forward before the man threw his hammer at them. The hammer strike sent them both flying backwards.

The man started towards Loki, his face a grim mask of determination. He reached out a hand and the hammer came flying back to his hand. Raising it he stalked closer to Loki. Before he could reach her a rock connected to the back of his head.

Turning, the man came face to face with a determined Steve who was holding another rock in his hand.

“Do not concern yourself with this mortal,” the man snarled while stalking towards Steve. Tony struggled to separate himself from Natasha trying to go and keep Steve safe from this crazed hammer throwing man.

“I suggest you put that hammer down,” Steve growled back, standing at his full height.

“Bad call Steve,” Tony called back, nearly frantic with his worry, “He loves that hammer.”

“You want me to put the hammer down? I’ll put the hammer down!” the man yelled, swinging the hammer at Steve. Who had no protection from the crazy man.

“Steve!” Tony screamed, trying to rush and get to his claim and protect him.

Before the hammer could connect a flash of green appeared. The man’s hammer was halted by a large staff Loki had created. The woman smiled viciously back at the man, her eyes wicked.

“Why don’t I take you on,” Loki purred, swinging the staff at the man’s face.

The two were different from each other as night and day. Where the man was light and all power, Loki was dark and grace. The man aimed crushing blows at Loki while she blocked and avoided his strikes with the grace of a dancer. Finally the two halted, staring at each other with hatred in their eyes.

“Surrender scum,” the man growled out, “And face justice for the murder you committed!”

“I didn’t do it!” Loki screamed in rage, swinging her staff at his head, “Stop blaming things on me!”

And then she threw a knife at his face which the man caught before throwing it back at her. The two were equally matched, neither able to win the fight. Everything was at a standstill as they continued to glare at each other.

Their staring contest was broken when a pained yell broke through the air. Loki turned quickly, and froze at the sight.

Standing before her was Coatlicue, her arms wrapped around Steve’s throat, The human was struggling to get away but all of his efforts were just causing him to get his airway cut off. She fixed them all with a nasty smile.

“It seems you left your little mortal all by himself,” she cooed, “Stane sends you his regards.”

In a flash of green smoke, Coatlicue was gone, taking Steve with her.

Loki let her staff drop, her eyes wide with confusion, “I did NOT see that coming.”

A heartbreaking scream cut through the air. Tony’s arm was stretched to where Steve had been standing just seconds ago. His eyes were wide with shock and pain as he screamed his anguish to the skies. His precious angel, the one he had promised to look after and keep safe, was in Stane’s hands and there was nothing he could do about it.

The group stood there, all staring hopelessly at the spot. Natasha was the first to break the silence. “All of that, all those years keeping him away, undone in a couple of seconds,” She whispered before rounding on Clint, “This is all your fault Barton!”

Clint glared back at her, “And how is it my fault!”

“You ruin everything! Just like Budapest!”

“Do not blame your failure of a marriage on me!”

“Enough!” Loki yelled, striking her staff on the ground and create a resounding boom, “All is not lost. We can still track Stane down and get Steve back.”

“How could you possibly track him down?” Tony demanded, his voice harsh with grief.

“I can’t,” Loki smiled happily, “But I know someone who can.”

There was a man in New York, a very influential one in the supernatural community. He was famous for his knowledge and his ability to find anything out. It was said that his reach wrapped around the whole world, both the mortal and supernatural worlds. Any who had a question that needed answering would turn to him, if they were able to pay the price.

“Let me get this straight,” Nick Fury grumbled, fixing his one eye on the group gathered in front of him, “You want me to find the mortal boy you lot lost to Stane.”

“That is exactly right,” Clint announced. Natasha reached over and punched him in the shoulder.

“And why should I do that,” Fury demanded, leaning back in his leather chair and fixing them all with a steely look.

Tony leaned forward, his eyes a bit crazed from losing Steve. “We will pay any price you ask for,” Tony was desperate for any way to get Steve back.

Fury smiled darkly at that. “I was hoping you would say that,” Fury told them, “The human is being held in Stane’s manor. And I’m guessing that you want to know where the manor is, so I’ll just tell you that also cause I doubt any of you morons know. Stane is staying in Germany right now, that’s where he has the human.”

Clint snorted at that, “Why would he want to go to Germany? That’s the last place I’d expect him.”

“Which is part of why he’s there,” Fury told them, “Add into it recently something killed of the Red Skull, leaving his coven without a leader.”

Red Skull. He was not well regarded by any creature in the supernatural world. He was a powerful Germanic vampire, one who enjoyed killing mortals to take their blood. He was also considered to be insane. Red Skull had this insane idea that only the pure of the supernatural world should be allowed to exist with a stream of humans for sustenance. Hitler’s rise to power had been like Christmas for the deranged vampire.

“Damn, that’s bad,” Loki muttered under her breath. Everyone turned and stared at her in shock.

“He’s a psychotic mass murderer, and you’re saying it’s bad he’s dead?” Fury demanded.

“Of course it’s bad,” Loki snapped, leaning forward to glare into his eye, “The Red Skull was predictable. Everyone in Europe knows how to recognize the signs of Red Skull starting on a rampage. Now there’s a power vacuum before the next crazy takes over.”

Natasha sneered at her, “Why don’t you take over then?”

Loki’s entire face brightened, “Can I?”

“No,” Fury pointed at her and glared, “You are never allowed to rule people.”

“Where is he located in Germany then?” Bruce asked.

“Strutgut. You’ll find him in the big ass castle,” Fury informed them, “Now about that payment. Normally its more information but you lot are the only ones who don’t have a clue with what is happening right now. So instead you’re going to do me a favor.”

“I’ve heard this one before,” Loki whispered to Bruce, “Right before he sends you to fight a dragon.”

“What do you want from us?” Tony demanded, willing to do anything to get Steve back.

“There have been reports of other supernaturals acting up all over the globe. They’re bringing attention to us which is a mistake,” Fury told them, his eye hard, “I want you lot on call for when I need them to be dealt with.”

“All we have to do is be on call and you’ll let us go?” Clint asked suspicion rising.

“Just that.”

“Sounds a bit suspicious to me,” Bruce murmured to Tony, while Natasha nodded in agreement. Loki just fixed them with a look that clearly labeled them all idiots which was what finally got them to agree.

Everyone filed out of the shop after that and stood in the bright sunlight of New York city as people swarmed around them.

“That went surprisingly well,” Tony admitted while leaning back against the store wall, “Never knew Fury to be so helpful.”

Loki rolled her eyes, “He’s always helpful when I talk to him.”

Natasha snorted. “Rumor has it he’s your kid,” she explained at Loki’s glare, “That might be why he helps you.”

Bruce stiffened at that, wide eyes landing on Loki. “You have a kid?” he asked softly.

“Don’t ask stupid questions,” Loki ordered before starting off down the street in the direction of the coffee shop where she had left Jane watching over Thor. That had been a rather shocking surprise to discover the man after Loki was the god of thunder. Even more surprising was the fact that Loki had been able to guilt him into helping them get Steve back. No one was sure how, but it was impressive. It also made Tony wonder what skills the thief had that she had been hiding.

When they finally reached the coffee shop they were greeted by the rather strange sight of Jane and Thor sitting outside the coffee shop both looking guilty.

Tony raised an eyebrow at them, “I thought you guys were going to be IN the coffee shop.”

“We got kicked out when Thor broke a cup on the floor,” Jane muttered softly.

Tony just stared at them, “Why did he break a cup on the floor?”

“It was pleasing and I wished for another,” Thor explained, “Have you finished speaking with the lying wench’s spawn?”

Bruce turned to Loki with a glare, “I thought you said Fury wasn’t your kid.”

“I said don’t ask stupid questions, of course he’s my kid,” Loki rolled her eyes at that question.

Clint sighed, “We have the location, but that’s it. We’re going to need supplies to take on Stane, especially if he has a coven.”

“Where would we get that?” Natasha demanded, her eyes hard and starting to turn blue, “Anyone we get supplies from probably answer to Stane. There’s no way we have a chance.”

Tony’s eyes brightened as an idea came to him, “We do have a supplier and a way in.”

He turned to stare determinedly at Loki until she caught on to her plan. Green eyes widened with horror as she realized what Tony wanted. “Oh no, I am not agreeing to this,” Loki snapped, taking a step back away from the group, “I didn’t sign up for this.”

“You got Steve kidnapped so it’s your fault,” Tony snarled back, his eyes flashing red, “So you’re going to do it.”

Bruce fixed Tony with a concerned look, “What is she doing?”

“There’s only one supplier who refuses to sell to vampires of any kind, and that’s Laufey’s clan,” Tony told him.

Clint froze, “The King of the Frost Giants?”

“The very same,” Loki admitted with a grumble, “We’re sort of related. Just a tad bit.”

Thor fixed her with a sneering look, “It would make sense that one creature as base as you would be related to Frost Giants.”

Loki let out an indignant huff, “I did not kill that guy! Seriously, let it go. I was busy when the murder happened.”

Natasha just stared at her, “What were you doing?”

“Nothing. I was nowhere near Pompei,” Loki snapped while before turning away to start walking down the street, “Hurry up, Laufey’s going to be holding court soon and we won’t want to be late or we’ll get nothing.”

Everyone traded looks before jogging after her as they headed down the street. Most people would expect a Frost Giant to be in one of those ice bars that were famous, like the one in Vegas. That wasn’t true.

Instead they enjoyed the bright lights and warm beats of a bar. Music that was low enough for conversation but loud enough to feel the power behind the beat. Hazy air that hid them from view as they lounged through the bar.

It was in one of these bars that Laufey sat. And Tony had to admit, he was not expecting Laufey to look like that. Especially because everyone referred to Laufey as king, which meant man.

The Laufey lounging in the chair was not a man. An older woman, but still one who was beautiful. Red eyes stared proudly out of a lined face. Her blue lips were pulled in a frown and a crown of ice sat in her wavy black hair while a tasteful deep blue dress hung off of her.

And she looked remarkably like Loki.

“So, how are you two related?” Clint asked her.

Loki just gave him a look before once again announcing, “Don’t ask stupid questions Batron. Just get supplies from the King before she eats you.”

Tony snorted, “She’s not going to eat us. ...Loki, I don’t like that smirk. Seriously what are you not telling us.”

Loki just walked forward, heading towards the chair where Laufey resided. Thor followed at her side, no doubt because he still didn’t trust her not to go on a murderous rampage and start killing people. Tony walked on her other side, knowing that as the one who has started this he had to be the one to ask for aid.

“Laufey King,” Tony said with a shallow bow, “I come to seek your aid on a quest that I am partaking in.”

Laufey just stared at him, her red eyes unreadable. When she finally decided to speak, the voice that came out was low and husky and sounded similar to Loki’s smoky tones. “Why should I grant aid to one of the blood suckers?” Laufey demanded, “What makes you so different than the others of your kind which are worse than vermin on the ground?”

“It amuses me to hear aa Frost Giant call another vermin,” Thor grumbled. Loki didn’t even think about it, she just slugged him in the arm and muttered darkly, “Shut up or they will kill you.”

It was then Laufey noticed Loki standing with them, apparently just recognizing her by the sound of her voice. It was an understandable concern not recognizing Loki, Tony knew this. He hadn’t recognized her after the first time they met because she had just gotten her tattoos and dyed her hair magenta for no real reason.

“Loki,” Laufey said with the long suffering sigh of all those who dealt with the crazy woman, “Why are you involved with this blood sucker?”

Loki just beamed back at Laufey, “I got his claim kidnapped. Oh, and if I help them I might take over Europe.”

Laufey raised an eyebrow, “You’re not taking over Europe, daughter mine. The only throne you will be taking is this one.”

“Damn it,” Loki grumbled while Clint muttered darkly, “Thought she said she wasn’t related to Laufey...”

Laufey let out another suffering sigh, “Loki, is this entire situation your fault?”

Tony’s gleeful yes covered up Bruce’s indignant no. Or maybe it hadn’t because Laufey sent Bruce a pitying look before returning her attention to Tony.

“While I am not fond of your kind, or the company you keep,” this was said with a dark look towards Thor who puffed up indignantly, “I will involve myself in this to fix my daughter’s mess. I learned quickly that any mess Loki made with magic needs to be taken care of immediately.”

“Did she say magic?” Natasha demanded. Loki turned and fixed her with an unimpressed look before turning back to grin at her mother.

Laufey gestured regally with her hand, “Loki will show you the way to the armory. Each of you may only take one item from there and it shall be returned here before the next full moon. Is this in accordance with your plans?”

Tony bowed his head again, “You are truly generous Laufey King. I thank you greatly for your help in our quest.”

Loki grabbed Thor by the wrist and forcibly dragged the Asgardian to the back of the club while everyone else just trudged behind her. Bruce was too busy staring forlornly at Loki’s back to respond to any of the mutterings Tony, Clint, and Natasha were having about the use of Loki’s magic.

Loki finally came to a stop in front of a large gilded dark blue door. Putting her hands on her hips she turned and smiled widely at the group. “This is the armory, I’ll let you in so you can grab your stuff then we’re out of here, any questions?” Loki demanded, her eyes bright.

“What’s with the magic thing Laufey mentioned?” Tony demanded his eyes hard.

Thor answered for Loki with dark eyes, “It is how she killed my shield brother, with her vile devil crafts.”

“I didn’t kill that guy!” Loki snapped rolling her eyes, “And yeah I use magic. What’s the big deal, lots of people use magic.”

“No they don’t it’s only a select few,” Bruce told her, the tone of his voice implying he thought her a bit slow right then, “How powerful are you with magic.”

“The fiend Loki is a very adapt sorcerer,” Thor informed them with his booming voice.

Natasha just stared at her, “Why don’t you just use your magic on your heists?”

Loki’s expression darkened at that. Not in the typical frowns she gave, no this one was far more powerful. Her entire face became as blank as an uncarved sheet of ice. “Do you know what its like having magic?” Loki demanded softly, “Having all that power at your fingertips and knowing you can do anything you want? Let me tell you about it.”

Loki took a shaky breath before continuing, “I can literally do anything I want. I am that powerful. But what no one ever tells you is that magic has a price. Do you know what my price was? It’s a little thing you all have, one that I am currently regaining but I still have a long way to go. My magic took my sanity. I decided that I didn’t like who I was becoming after the Great London Fire. So I quit using magic and became a thief and everyone became convinced that I was simply some nameless thief who was extremely lucky instead of being a powerful sorcerer. That is why I don’t use magic anymore.”

Loki pushed the doors open, muttering under her breath, “What is with all these stupid questions people keep asking me today?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, Jontun. Hope you like.


	11. Chapter 11

_  
_His bed back home was soft and warm. It was a large plush thing that was covered in sky blue pillows that he loved burrowing under. The sheets were the perfect combination of warm and gentle so he could stay nice and warm while curling up to sleep. It was the one thing he never felt bad asking money for after spending so many years on the cot.

  
Then his bed had changed to an even more lavish bed. Silk everything and even more pillows that he could rest against. Even better was the fact that in his new bed was another person, one who kept him safe from all the things that went bump in the night.  
  
The bed also had a knife under the pillow which was why his lover kept him from reaching for it because of safety reasons according to the vampire.  
  
All in all, Steve loved his beds and he especially loved the body in his bed.

This bed was similar to the one he had back at the asylum. It was cold and threadbare with scratchy sheets and pillows. Steve hated this new bed, but that wasn’t the real reason why. The real reason was because he was away from Tony right then.

Steve hated this room and this bed. Mostly because he was currently chained to the wall by the thick iron clasp around his ankle, which chafed at his ankle and Steve knew soon he would be bleeding if he continued trying to get out of it.

Like giving up was ever an option.

Steve growled softly under his breath as he continued to try and escape from this hell on earth. Steve froze when he heard the door opening, dropping the chain and sitting straight up in his bed.

He had learned to sit up and act like he was a king no matter what circumstances he was in or else he’d be in trouble. So Steve would act like a king and deal with whatever came his way.

Stane walked into the room followed closely by Eskrine who was holding something in his hand. Stane smiled, an oily thing that made Steve want to punch the asshole in the face.

“Steve my boy, how are you doing today?” Stane stepped forward and placed his hands on his shoulders.

Steve smiled sweetly up at him, “Oh you know, I fought a rat today for the bed. I killed the furry bastard with my teeth.”

Even Stane couldn’t hide the grimace at that. His face twisted with disgust as he pulled away from Steve. Steve couldn’t keep his victorious grin from showing on his face. Stane’s face twisted into a dark sneer before he gestured. Eskrine stepped forward holding a large needle in his hand full of some type of liquid.

“This will keep you nice and complacent,” Stane explained as the needle pressed into Steve’s vein and the liquid was injected, “I remember your little prediction that Tony would be coming tonight and with you, he’ll do exactly as I say. I hope you understand that as soon as Tony is out of the way, you’re life will be in the balance if you don’t behave.”

Steve glared up at him, “I don’t believe that.”

Stane chuckled at that, shaking his head in amusement. “Of Steve, obviously Tony never taught you anything about vampires,” Stane announced, placing a hand on Eskrine’s head, “Once we get what we want from your bloodbags, you’re disposable.”

He then twisted his hand, and an audible snap rang through the room. Steve froze, his eyes wide as he watched the doctors body slump to the ground his head twisted at an unnatural angle.

“Once Tony gets through playing with you, he’s just going to kill you before getting a new toy,” Stane leaned forward and caressed Steve’s cheek, his eyes stuck on the vein pulsing in Steve’s neck, “And who will care about you then, just another body dumped in a ditch with no family and no one looking for them. The perfect body to warm Tony’s bed. His personal little whore.”

Steve smiled sweetly up at him, using the last of his strength to headbut Stane before the drugs coursing through his veins dragged him into unconsciousness.

_The elegant ballroom was in tatters. Bodies littered the ground, half formed corpses with melting flesh that pressed against each other. His friends were also scattered through the room. Bruce was curled up in a corner, fussing over Natasha who was bleeding black blood onto the ground. Thor was helping a naked Bruce to his feet, his face pale with fear._

_In front of him Loki dropped to her knees, her eyes old and tired._

_“You know what you have to do,” Loki told Steve, her eyes dropping to the ground, “It’s your choice.”_

_Steve looked down and let out a wordless cry. Lying across his lap was his Tony, red eyes shining in a pale face one that looked bloodless. He was gasping weakly, a hand pressing against Steve’s chest as he pressed against the human, a giant hole gaping in his chest._

_Steve nodded, leaning down to press a kiss to Tony’s forehead before looking up to meet Loki’s eyes._

_“I’ll do it,” whispered Steve and with a sign Loki reached forward and pressed a glowing green hand to his chest..._


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly at the end! Ready for it!

“This is a terrible plan,” Loki announced, staring up at the castle with disdain on her pretty face. Bruce offered her a gentle smile and clapped a hand to her shoulder, “At least there is a plan this time.”

Tony ignored the pair of them, pulling his leather jacket tighter around himself and gripped his sword tighter. Steve was in there, being held captive by Stane in that monstrosity. All they had to do was get inside and break up the party that was no doubt happening from the sounds of beautiful music floating through the air.

“Sounds like quite the party in there,” Clint muttered softly, “So Stark, is there a plan of attack we have dealing with this whole thing?”

“That’s the plan,” Tony snarled into the air, his fangs growing, “Attack.”

Loki groaned at that, falling forward and slamming her forehead against Thor’s back causing the Asgardian to jump. “We’re all going to die,” Loki groaned into the air causing Natasha to smile nastily.

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” Natasha announced and everyone traded looks before heading towards the castle, ready to take on Stane.

  
Steve scowled at his reflection, hating how he looked. Dressed in a dark blue suit that was littered with diamonds that sparkled like stars, he looked very different than the scared boy he had been when he first met Stane.

He turned and exited the room, head held high as he walked through the dark hallways of the castle. Steve followed the twisted maze until he reached a great door that lead to the ballroom.   
The door to the castle gate burst open when Thor struck it with his hammer. Lightning spread into the courtyard, illuminating the massive rotten place. The group entered, wary of attackers as they studied the shadows.

“Doesn’t look like we have a welcoming party waiting for us,” Clint muttered, nocking an arrow.   
“Oh, there’s a party here,” a silky voice purred into the courtyard. They turned searching for whoever was hidden in the shadows but unable to find them.

“Come out coward!” Thor yelled, his eyes alight with battle rage, “Face me like a true warrior!”

A dark laugh echoed through the air. “A true warrior is what you wish for,” the voice called back, “Then a true warrior you shall face!”

A pillar of flame burst into existence in front of them. Looking into it one could see the form of a woman, her hair fluttering in the flame as she stepped forward ready to fight.

“Shit, a phoenix,” Natasha hissed, letting her hands turn into claws.

Tony snarled, “I’ll rip this bitch apart if she stands between me and Steve.”

Bruce frowned at that, “A phoenix will tear you apart Tony. We have to get past her to get to Steve.”

With a loud booming laugh Thor lofted his hammer and started forward. “I shall deal with this witch friend Tony while you rescue your consort!” Thor boomed, starting towards the phoenix at a run, “She shall be no match for the son of Odin!”

“Let’s get going while he’s distracting her,” Natasha muttered, leading the group away from the two warriors locked in combat.

Thor grunted as a flaming fist connected with his face sending him reeling. He smashed against one of the courtyard walls, slumping to the ground stunned. The woman may have seemed small and delicate but she packed a definite whallop. With a groan, Thor stumbled to his feet, ready to fight her.

Only to be met with a massive wall of flame barreling at his face.

He shut his eyes, waiting for the the burning pain before he would attack once again. But no pain greeted him. Opening his eyes Thor had to gape at the wall of glittering ice in front of him, a beautiful shield protecting him.

“Looks like you could use some help son of Odin,” a familiar voice purred as Loki appeared besides Thor, knives in her hands.

“A Jotun,” the phoenix breathed, disgust obvious from her tone, “I can’t wait to wipe you from the earth.”

“Try it bitch,” Loki snarled, tossing a knife at the phoenix's face.

Thor let out a whooping war cry before leaping over the ice wall and charging the phoenix. Together they would take this beast.

Steve refused to flinch as he walked past the crumpled bodies that littered the corridor. It was the worst part of dealing with vampires, when they decided to leave their food lying all over the place. Luckily Steve didn’t have to deal with that problem at the mansion because Tony refused to feed from anyone but Steve which was a big part of Steve being his claim. They were happy together. And they would be happy again no matter what Stane did, Steve swore to himself as he entered the ballroom.

The remaining members of the group ran through the palace corridors, following the drifting and haunting strain of music through the air. Tony was in the lead, charging through the palace with his sword drawn, ready to destroy anything between him and Steve.

Natasha ran along at the back of the group, scanning the corridors for any more threats. She wouldn’t allow anyone to take them by surprise like the phoenix did. Which of course made sense that something wrapped around her ankle and pulled her off of her feet.

“Shit,” Natasha hissed as she was pulled into another corridor. She transformed as she was pulled through the corridor, her slide now easy as the water dripping off of her made it much easier. As soon as she was pulled into the room Natasha cut through the thing on her ankle and rolled to her feet hissing.

Standing in front of her with a wide smirk stood Coatlicue, dressed in her sinfully tight dress.

“Let’s finish what we started,” Coatlicue hissed, starting forward. Natasha smiled viciously before springing forward. The battle was on.

Steve stepped into the room and his eyes immediately landed on Stane. The vampire was dressed in a rather expensive suit and holding a drink in his hands. Steve scowled as he approached the monster knowing he couldn’t run from Stane and took his new place by his side. Stane placed a hand on the small of Steve’s back and smiled darkly down at him. Steve just glared at him before letting his eyes move back over the ballroom.

There was a large room right before the entrance to the ball room. It was as dark as the rest of the castle, obviously no one had ever taken the time to light a few torches in the room. Typically it would look like there was no purpose to the room and that it wouldn’t lead to the ballroom. But the smell of rotting flesh gave that away.

“Great, he has a revenant,” Bruce muttered as his jaw elongated and shifted, “I hate them.”

“Name someone who actually likes them and we’ll talk,” Clint announced with a grin, moving closer to the shifting werewolflf, “We’ll handle this Stark. You go get your boy.”

Tony nodded and started towards the entrance of the ballroom leaving the other two to deal with the monster.

Clint back up into a corner, eyes looking up as he scanned the vaulted cieling for the creature. He would hate to have one of those creatures drop on him at a moments notice from behind. Once they bit something, they never let go unless they took a large chunk out with them.

Bruce had fully transformed and stood ready to spring in the middle of the room. The wolf was snarling, body tense and faintly trembling as he waited to pounce. The revenant wouldn’t be able to hide from him for long. In a matter of seconds he would scent it in the room and take the disgusting thing down. Unless it found him first.

With a unholy shirke of delight, the revenant dropped from the ceiling onto Bruce’s back and sunk his teeth into the wolf. A great howl of pain filled the air as Clint loosed his first arrow.

Stane pulled his sleeve back, revealing a pale arm that was marked by needle scars through the years. Steve struggled to get away but the vampire was too strong, forcing the needle into his arm and injecting the sedative in the needle. Steve let out a weak cry of protest, his body going limp and sagging into Stane’s hold as his strength left him.

“Let’s give Tony a show,” Stane whispered in his ear, holding Steve close as they boy’s head lolled to the side, “Show him what his little whore is capable of.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed as he approached the giant intricate door that led to the ballroom. His angel was in there with Stane and a mass of vampires that he had under his control. Not that it particularly mattered. Tony was going to get Steve out of there no matter how many people he had to kill to do it.

With that last thought in mind, he pushed the ballroom doors open and stormed into the room ready to take Steve back.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter! Everything is getting wrapped up.

He stood in a great ball room, wearing a dark blue suit that glittered with little diamonds instead of buttons. Around him people moved in an intricate waltz, partners moving perfectly in tune and timed as perfectly as the pushing tides that flowed in the ocean that sparkled behind them.

A warm hand came to rest on Steve’s waist. It was tight enough to leave bruises and was a possessive brand.

The dancers, who had appeared to be beautiful, suddenly became terrifying. Their faces became twisted mockeries of the painted faces they had been before. Eyes turned blood red, lips were stained with blood. Their skin was rotting and falling off of stark cheekbones onto the marble floor.

The hand tugged him closer to a cold body. Steve whimpered softly, too weak to get away. Another hand grabbed his hair and pulled his head back, baring his neck. Steve’s hands reached up to clutch at a necklace that rested around his neck. A silver rosary, a present from Tony, was supposed to be protection from monsters like Stane.

“He won’t come for you,” the hands holding him whispered into his ear, licking his neck, “He will leave you to die...”

“No,” Steven whispered as the ballroom doors were blown open and a furious figure stormed into the room scanning it with his eyes before locking in on Steve, “He will always come. He promised.”

A pair of furious red eyes made contact with Steve’s tired blue eyes, and they flashed with rage as he pulled back his hand. Stane snarled darkly and gripped Steve by the throat, choking him as Steve weakly tried to fight him off. Stane continued squeezing and vicious delight spread through his eyes. Before Steve could pass out the door to the ball room slammed open. His protector came to save Steve, just like he had known he would.

Tony stood in that doorway, sword drawn and his fangs showing in his rage. Blood red eyes were shining with rage as they took in his lover being held in Stane’s arms, a hand around his delicate throat.

“Let him go,” Tony snarled, his voice carrying over the party, “NOW.”

Stane smiled darkly, pressing his fangs to Steve’s neck, “I don’t think so Stark. You’re little thrall is going to be feeding me after tonight before I rip your body to shreds.”

Tony grinned wickedly at that, his eyes widening in delight, “You think he’s a thrall Stane? Seriously, you don’t do your research?”

Stane’s eyes narrowed before he pulled away from Steve’s neck as he glared at Tony. “What are you babbling about now Stark?” Stane demanded.

Steve squirmed weakly trying to get out of the iron grasp around his throat. “Not...his thrall...” Steve gasped out, “Claim...”

Stane froze, pulling away from Steve’s delicate throat and stared at Tony with disgust clearly written on his face. “You claimed a human? A blood bag?” Stane demanded. It was true, vampires only saw humans as being useful for food. The humans were the lowest of the low even compared to the revenants who no one likes.

Tony stepped forward, sword pointed at Stane’s heart. His eyes didn’t leave Steve though searching for any sign of Steve losing consciousness from air loss. The less damage his claim took the happier he would be. Steve met his eyes and offered Tony a weak smile and didn’t that hurt. Even when being strangled Steve would rather give Tony comfort than let him suffer.

“You know the rules Stane,” Tony hissed, stepping forward. The dancers moved out of the way, they’re grotesque faces contorted into wicked smiles. Their fangs showed through as they gathered their fancy clothes in their hands and formed a circle around the two higher vampires. “You touched my claim. I’m guessing you’ve fed off of him also. So, by the Law I challenge you for my claim.”

Stane smiled darkly at that, “Of course. I would hate to break the Law.”

With that Stane threw Steve to the side. The human hit the ground and his head connecting made an audible crack and Steve lay there. His head was tilted to the side away from Tony not moving.

Tony saw red at that. With a roar of rage he lunged at Stane, ready to rip that bastards head off. No one hurt his claim and got away with it.

Thor dropped to the ground as Loki vaulted over him and threw her knife towards the phoenix. The knife melted before it got close to her, the phoenix laughing wildly as the metal dribbled to the ground.

Thor grinned brightly while smashing his hammer into the phoenix's face before she was able to blast him with flames again. Loki followed up with a blast of ice pinning the phoenix to the wall.

They could take her together.

Bruce clamped his jaws around the revenants arm and ripped. The revenant let out a screech as he was thrown at the wall. The creature attached itself to the wall and climbed up the wall, hissing at them. It let out another ear shattering screech before launching itself as Bruce again.

Halfway towards Bruce an arrow hit the revenants chest, knocking it to the ground. It screamed, a ear shattering scream leaving his throat. Clint smirked in his corner, his eyes hard.

“I hate carnage,” Clint grumbled, shooting another arrow into the screaming thing while Bruce tried to rip its legs off, “God damn revenants.”

Natasha snarled as she dug her claws into Coatlicue’s arm, twisting so the black blood flowed freely. The goddess screamed in rage before using her magic to transform her skirt. A cobra flowed from the flowing green fabric and wrapped itself around Natasha’s arm, pulling back to hiss at her.

Natasha sneered back her blue eyes looking dead in the light. The snake flowed up of her arms and Natasha grinned wickedly. She twisted her wrist, causing the snake’s head to move away from her and Natasha slammed her clawed fingers into the snake’s skull.

Coatlicue threw her head back and screamed in agony. The snakes were a part of her just as truly as the magic was a part of Loki. To remove a part of it, or to remove the life force from it, would physically harm the owner of the piece.

So the death of the snake caused true physical pain to Coatlicue like someone was cutting her hand off. Her eyes flashed black in rage before she lunged at Natasha screaming in pain. Natasha ducked under her arm, rolling to her feet and smiling viciously.

Tony knew he looked crazed with his smile as he paused in a half crouch, his sword at the ready. Stane may have been stronger than him, but Tony was definitely faster. Tony lunged forward managing to land a strike on Stane before the other vampire smashed his hand into Tony’s shoulder, sending him reeling back.

The two circled each other, their fangs out as they sized each other up. Tony feinted to the right before swinging his sword to the left. Stane ducked under the swing and aimed a kick at Tony’s knees. Tony slid back and stabbed Stane in the leg, twisting his sword for maximum damage.

Stane snarled and backhanded him, throwing Tony onto his back in the circle of vampires who were shifting around them, hissing for blood. Tony snarled while struggling to his feet. He couldn’t lose as long as Stane had Steve, it just wasn’t an option.

Steve whimpered softly, his eyes fluttering open. He turned his head slightly and gasped in horror at the sight of Tony fighting Stane. He couldn’t let his lover fight that monster all by himself. Steve stumbled to his feet, crashing against the wall. He slid down, still dazed by the blow he’d suffered earlier.

Steve reached out hoping to find something to steady him. Cool metal pressed against his hand and when Steve turned to stare at the dark blue sheild that was hung on the wall. He smiled wickedly as an idea came to him on how to help Tony.

Loki and Thor traded looks of an understanding that only came from battling against someone. Their years of conflict had led to them being able to predict the others moves and able to counter which was the reason for their hundreds of years of battling against each other.

And now that they were working together they were a force to deal with.

“I’ll get her from the back if you rush her front,” Loki whispered while fingering a knife in her hands, “It will keep your precious honor intact.”

Thor chuckled while hefting the handle, “Indeed. I shall enjoy fighting by your side this one time you murderous witch.”

“I didn’t murder him,” Loki snarled, disappearing in a flash of green smoke. She reappeared behind the Phoenix while grinning madly, holding her knife up.

With as screech of rage the Phoenix turned and caught Loki by the throat, holding her up in the air. The smell of burning flesh curled through the air as Loki screamed. It was a myth that Frost Giants were blue. Their skin was the same color as anyone elses although they did tattoo their skin with blue ink. But their blood was blue. It was blue like their supposed skin was. As the Phoenix clung to Loki’s throat her blue blood bubbled and boiled as it broke through the skin.

The Phoenix laughed darkly, leaning in to whisper, “How goes your silly little plan mortal thief?”

Loki laughed darkly, her blood bubbling past her lips, “Actually. Yes.”

Phoenix’s eyes widened as the hammer made contact with her back. She arched and screamed while dropping Loki to the ground as electricity blasted through her body. Phoenix crumpled to the ground, a charred twitching mess.

Thor grinned at Loki, clapping her on the shoulder. She groaned in agony and fixed him with a glare. The two stood together staring at their defeated enemy for a long second before Thor broke the slience.

“We should assist brother Anthony with his fight,” Thor announced while Loki let out a long sigh of pain.

“Fine,” she grumbled as they both started towards the castle.

A fight between two women was a dangerous thing. They were likely to turn on any who interrupted them and rip him to shreds. Just as they were likely to kill each other without a second thought.

So it was with a vicious and quite smug smile that Natasha sunk her claws into Coatlicue’s neck and squeezed. Flesh cut like butter under a hot knife as she ripped through the delicate throat and bared the goddess open.

With a delighted cry Natasha sent Coatlicue to her knees, the goddess gagging on the blood dripping from her mouth.

“I win again,” Natasha hissed, delighted when Coatlicue disappeared in a flash of smoke leaving her standing in a bloodstained hallway.

Never should one come between a rusalka and her prey.

Steve stumbled to his feet, clutching the shield to him as he staggered towards the fighting vampires. None dared to stop him, fearing Stane’s wrath if a single drop of blood was spilt from the human. Steve’s eyes burned with determination as he continued forward.

Tony was faltering under Stane’s attacks. His lover had been traveling and fighting for days now trying to reach him and like hell Steve was going to let Tony fight on his own.

With a loud cry Steve started to run to Tony’s aid, his eyes flashing with rage. He brought up his shield and with a mighty cry threw it at Stane. The shield hit the monster and bounced off of Stane’s head before returning to Steve’s hand.

Steve came to a stop at Tony’s side, his eyes harsh in the light.

“If you want to kill him,” Steve hissed out, “You’ll have to kill me first.”

Stane grinned darkly, “I’ll have to take you up on that.”

Clint dove out of the way as the revenant sprung at him. It was coming for his throat before Bruce caught it in his mighty jaws and shook. Out of everyone, Clint knew the dangers of a giant wolf best. His husband was one, the third of Loki’s monstrous children the giant wolf. And while Clint loved his husband it was still terrifying to see a giant wolf chomping on a revenant.

“You need to eat the entire thing or it will just regrow!” Clint yelled. He’d experienced that before in the faire realm. Twice. Each time was disturbing as the last.

Just like watching Bruce eat the disgusting thing was still as horrible as the first time he had seen it happen. Clint winced at a particularly loud crunch and waited until Bruce finished to go help Tony.

Tony hated to admit it but Steve was rather helpful in a fight. His precious one was quite good wielding his shield as both defense and offense against the vampire. Each time Tony would parry Steve would cover his open side with the shield, offering Tony a level of protection from Stane he hadn’t been getting before.

The two twisted around each other in an intricate dance before Stane managed to get through their defenses. He threw his clawed hand forward, aiming for Steve’s heart. Mortal flesh was soft and easily damaged and broken. All Stane had to do was kill the mortal boy and Tony would be finished, unable to fight while his claim lay dying in his arms.

Tony’s eyes widened in fear as he saw the direction Stane’s arm was heading. He didn’t even think, he just pushed Steve out of the way and took the blow himself. He could hear Steve screaming his name as he looked down, stunned to see Stane’s hand punched through his chest.

He sunk to his knees, eyes wide in shock and pain. Everything came through a distorted view, even the image of Steve beheading Stane with his shield didn’t make much of an impression. Instead he placed a hand on the gaping hole before slumping backwards.

Only to be caught in the arms of the person he loved.

Steve’s teary face smile weakly down at him and Tony couldn’t help but grin back at him.

“My sweet angel,” Tony whispered softly, “You’re finally safe.”

“I know Tony, but who will keep me safe if you’re not here,” Steve whispered gently, kissing Tony’s forehead, “You have to hold on to keep me safe.”

“Not sure if I can do that,” Tony whispered weakly, his eyes sliding shut as he leaned into Steve’s warmth.

Steve whimpered softly as the ballroom doors were blasted open and Tony’s friends stormed the room. He only had eyes for Tony even as Loki dropped to her knees next to him.

“I can save him,” Loki whispered, her green eyes boring into Steve’s with a deep sadness, “But all magic has a price.”

Steve looked up his eyes full of tears, “I will pay it fully. What is it?”

Loki sucked in a deep breath before explaining, “I will break off a part of your soul and use it to stop the injury. He will survive but you will sink into a deep sleep to repair the damage. No one can take that kind of damage to their soul without consequence.”

“What will happen?” Steve demanded.

“You will sleep. Anywhere from seven days to seventy years. And nothing will awaken you before it is time for you to wake up.”

Steve let out a sob before looking around the room.The elegant ballroom was in tatters. Bodies littered the ground, half formed corpses with melting flesh that pressed against each other. His friends were also scattered through the room. Clint was curled up in a corner, fussing over Natasha who was bleeding black blood onto the ground. Thor was helping a naked Bruce to his feet, his face pale with fear. .

“You know what you have to do,” Loki told Steve, her eyes dropping to the ground, “It’s your choice.”

Steve looked down and let out a wordless cry. Lying across his lap was his Tony, red eyes shining in a pale face one that looked bloodless. He must have awoken while they were talking about him. He was gasping weakly, a hand pressing against Steve’s chest as he pressed against the human, a giant hole gaping in his chest.

Steve nodded, leaning down to press a kiss to Tony’s forehead before looking up to meet Loki’s eyes.

“I’ll do it,” whispered Steve and with a sign Loki reached forward and pressed a glowing green hand to his chest and pure agony ripped through him. Steve arched backwards and screamed as something that was tied into his basic existence was ripped away from him. The pain was more intense than anything he had ever face before.

With a final sob of pain Steve slumped to the ground as darkness began to claim him. The last thing he saw was his Tony leaning down to gather him close in a warm blue light...


	14. Chapter 14

The cliff overlooked the sea. It was an imposing place one that reminded a person of just how small they were in the grand scheme of things.

Perhaps, Bruce mused while staring out across the sea, that was why Loki adored stood there gazing out over the sea.

“Thor left minutes ago,” Loki announced, “He’s returned to Asgard to clear my name.”

Bruce chuckled at that, “Will it take?”

“No. I’ll have to disappear again before they come for me,” Loki said softly, turning to smile at Bruce, “I would have liked to get to know you better Banner, you’re quite interesting.”

“And I would like the same thing Loki,” Bruce whispered.

Loki’s grin turned wicked as she sauntered forward before pressing a kiss to Bruce’s cheek. She pulled back and whispered, “I will be in Delhi in three weeks. I’ll meet you there Banner.”

Bruce grinned brightly back, “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

And in a flash of smoke Loki was gone once again.

Clint grinned while running into his home, straight into his husbands warm arms. He buried his face in Fenris's neck and sighed happily.

“It’s good to be home,” Clint muttered, enjoying his husband’s chuckle at that.

There was a long moment of silence before Fenris asked softly, “Why did you bring Natasha here?”

“She wanted to fix things with Darcy,” Clint said softly, hearing the sounds of Natasha and Darcy talking quietly behind them. Hopefully the two would reconnect. They had been good for each other back in the Victorian age and would be even better now.

Clint looked up and grinned again at his husband before leaning in to whisper, “Want to give me a proper welcome home Phil?”

Phil laughed softly at that before dragging him into their room murmuring, “I’ll see what I can do Barton.”

Tony walked into the bedroom, his eyes landing on the figure sleeping on the large bed. He’d remade Steve’s old room into a quiet place for the blond to rest as he slept. The curtains were drawn closed to keep the light out, and Steve was covered with a thin blanket and soft pajamas.

Tony took a seat next to Steve, the beauty of the mortal highlighted by glow coming from his chest. Steve’s soul shone a bright and steady blue, one Tony loved for being his lover but also hating for hurting Steve so badly.

Tony leaned in a brushed a kiss to Steve’s forehead before whispering his love gently into his ear, peppering kisses to Steve’s cheek and lips as the mortal continued to sleep quietly.

Pulling away with a sigh Tony caressed his face one more time before whispering, “I’ll be waiting for you to wake up my sweet angel” before walking out of the room.

Tony then got to his feet and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Inside the room Steve continued to sleep for once not dreaming. Many more months passed in this way until during one day blue eyes fluttered open and Steve smiled sweetly up at a stunned Tony.

“Tony,” Steve whispered, reaching out for his lover, “You’re alright.”

With a half crazed laugh of delight Tony gathered Steve in for a hug and pressed the boy to his chest. “I’m fine angel mine,” Tony whispered in delight happy to have Steve nuzzling into his neck once again, “I’ve missed you so much my precious boy.”

Steve frowned at that, “How long have I been sleeping Tony?”

Tony let out a sob, pulling Steve closer and wrapping him in his arms. “Twenty years,” Tony whispered brokenly, “It’s been twenty years angel.”

Steve froze at that, staring brokenly up at Tony. So much time missed all because Steve was sleeping. But now they would be together and stay that way until the end of time. Nothing would ever separate them again.

It was hard for Steve to believe that the small frail boy from the asylum would find his sanctuary in a vampire’s arms. But that was what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are everyone. The story is now complete and it took forever. Thought I should reward everyone with the rest of the story to thank you for waiting for song long for this.


End file.
